


We Saved Each Other (a collection of sheith drabbles)

by midnightsong22



Series: Sheith Month 2019 Drabbles [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam (Voltron) Lives, Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Childhood Friends, Drabble Collection, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Red String of Fate, Reunions, Romance, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, Sheith Month 2019, Sleepy Cuddles, Temporary Amnesia, The Black Paladins, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-05-31 13:26:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 25,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19426876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightsong22/pseuds/midnightsong22
Summary: Sheithmonth 2019 collection with the usual mixed bag of fulfilled prompts. Each tag after "drabble collection" correlates with each chapter.





	1. Timing is Everything

**July 1st - Marriage/Divorce**

Moments like this were rare for the Black Paladins. To have an entire evening off with no obligations to be anywhere or do anything. Shiro was more than happy to spend that time in his and Keith’s shared quarters within the Atlas, now large enough to have it’s own living room and (unused) kitchenette. It felt almost like a real home. It almost felt…  _ domestic. _

Shiro smiled as he felt Keith press closer against his side, readjusting so that he could more comfortably see the living room TV. Shiro chanced a look at Keith’s face, illuminated in the dark by the flashing lights of the screen. Keith’s eyebrows were scrunched and he was biting his lip in concentration. He was honestly so cute that Shiro was close to saying to hell with the game. Making out with his boyfriend on their couch would  _ probably _ be better than winning.

But Shiro’s competitive side disagreed.

He focused back on the screen where he was currently holding first place in MarioKart. Wherever Pidge managed to find an old Wii and controllers he had no idea, but he was extremely grateful that they had somehow managed to convince Pidge to let them borrow it. He and Keith were on the final race of four, and their scores were currently tied. Whoever got first in this race would win it all.

“C’mon Keith,” Shiro laughed as Keith cursed beside him, “I thought you’d be better at this? Shouldn’t I be at a disadvantage over here with a giant robot arm?”

“I was in first for two whole laps!” Keith complained beside him, “Those stupid CPUs and their blue shell fucked it up!”

Shiro suppressed his laugh, wary of how quickly Keith was catching up. He drifted around the corner and straight into an item block with Keith right on his tail. He watched the spinning item slot intently and just as Keith pulled ahead it landed on a red shell.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Keith warned.

“Sorry babe,” He laughed, and activated it.

He watched the red shell run directly into Keith’s motorcycle, spinning him out as Shiro’s kart pulled back into the lead.

“I want a divorce,” Keith grumbled beside him.

Shiro snorted, knocking his shoulder into Keith’s, “I hate to tell you this Keith, but you can’t divorce me if we’re not married.”

There was a short pause in their banter and Shiro boosted off of a ramp, aware that Keith was valiantly trying to catch up after being knocked back into 5th place.

“Well,” Keith finally continued, “I guess you’ll just have to marry me then.”

Shiro’s fingers slipped off the controller and his head snapped to look at Keith who was still staring intently at the screen.

“What?” Shiro asked dumbly.

Keith briefly glanced at him and Shiro took note of the blush dusting across his cheeks.

“I said that you should marry me.”

“Keith...” Shiro started, trying to ignore how fast his heart was beating, “Are you seriously trying to propose to me while I’m kicking your ass in mariokart?”

Keith laughed, gesturing to the screen, “Speak for yourself.” 

Shiro’s head whipped back to the race just in time to see Keith’s bike cross the finish line. He scrambled for his controller but by the time he was back on track he crossed the line in 9th place. Shiro watched in dismay as the final scores were calculated and his character didn’t even make the podium. 

He turned back to Keith with a pout and Keith at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish.

“Keith-”

“I’m serious,” Keith cut him off, eyes darting to Shiro’s, “That… That wasn’t like trash talk or anything. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask this for weeks now and I’m just… really bad at this.”

Shiro’s eyes widened and he kept his mouth shut as he waited for Keith to continue.

“Shiro I-” Keith paused, and seemed to make his mind up about something.

He jumped up from the couch, crossing the living room and into their bedroom. Shiro could hear Keith shuffling around and he closed his eyes to try and settle his racing heart. They may have only been dating for six months now, but Shiro already knew he’d spend the rest of his life by Keith’s side.

He heard Keith pad quietly across the floor and he opened his eyes just in time to see Keith kneel on the floor in front of him.

“Shiro, I love you,” Keith stopped to pop open the small black ring box, “Marry me?”

Shiro took a deep breath, leaning forward slightly to examine the contents of the box. The ring was black obsidian with a small gold band running around the center. He looked from the ring and then back up to Keith’s face. Keith was watching him intently, and Shiro could see the nervousness in the way Keith’s eyes roamed Shiro’s face and the way his fingers were trembling slightly against the ring box.

And this astounded Shiro, because how could Keith seriously think he’d say  _ no _ ?

“Of course,” Shiro breathed out, reaching down to pull Keith up and onto his lap, hugging him tightly to his chest.

Keith laughed against him, adjusting himself so that he could straddle Shiro’s thighs. He pulled back enough to meet Shiro’s eyes and pull the ring out of its box. Shiro let him take his left hand and slide the ring gently onto his finger. Shiro smiled, holding out his hand to examine it in the light of the TV. He laughed when he realized that the menu screen for mariokart was still on loop in the background.

“I can’t believe you proposed to me in the middle of  _ mariokart _ ,” Shiro laughed as Keith groaned, resting his head against Shiro’s shoulder.

“I've been trying to propose all week!” Keith muttered, before pulling back to meet Shiro’s eyes, “Do  _ not  _ tell the others about this. Lance especially.”

“Oh babe,” Shiro smirked, pulling Keith down to kiss him, “I am never going to let you live this down.”

Keith grumbled against him but quickly got over it in favor of kissing his fiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah it's cheesy as hell and a little ooc, no surprise there. I like to think that Shiro was playing as Peach in her kart and Keith played as Yoshi on a red motorcycle. Oh, and as much as I'd like to say they were on Rainbow Road, they were probably on a really tame course like MooMoo Meadows or something. The items were the real challenge, damn those blue shell throwing cpus. Hit me up on tumblr if you'd like: sideofsaltblog.tumblr.com


	2. Greatest Fear

**July 2nd - Biggest Fear**

Sleeping has been both easier and harder since Shiro got his new body. The nightmares have honestly gotten worse, but having Keith in his bed has made those sleepless nights just a little bit better.

Even now Shiro sits up against the headboard of their bed, content to just watching the gentle rise and fall of Keith’s chest. It was rare for Keith  _ not  _ to wake up when Shiro did, so he did his best to keep still and let Keith actually sleep for once. He was not unaware of the dark circles under Keith’s eyes that matched his own. Yet whenever Shiro suggested sleeping in separate quarters for a night Keith always refused, arguing that he slept better by Shiro’s side.

Shiro smiled fondly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch Keith. To pet his soft hair or grab hold of his hand or trace the scar that ran across Keith’s cheek with his fingertips.

As always, Shiro had to fight the pang of intense guilt whenever he thought too hard about why that scar was there. It was terrifying to think what would have happened if Keith hadn’t cut off his Galran arm in time.

His nightmares often consisted of what  _ could  _ have happened that day. Of Keith losing his strength, unable to push him off. The horrifying scene of that red hot sword dragging across Keith’s face and plunging into his body. His greatest fear realized-losing Keith forever. He often wakes in a cold sweat with the image of faded purple eyes and blood on Keith’s lips.

Shiro knows he’s spiraling as he feels his chest constrict and it becomes hard to breathe. He wraps his arms around his legs, pulling his knees up to his chest. He tries to take deep breaths, cursing himself when he hears Keith stir beside him.

“Shiro?” comes Keith’s whisper in the darkness, and he feels Keith shift on the bed.

There’s a pause and then he feels Keith’s arm wrap up and around his shoulders, fingertips tracing patterns onto Shiro’s bare skin, just above where his prosthetic connects to his shoulder. Shiro sighs, leaning into Keith’s embrace, allowing himself to take a moment of comfort.

Keith is here. Keith is okay. Keith loves him.

“Sorry,” Shiro finally whispers back, nudging Keith gently with his elbow, “Go back to sleep, I’m okay.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Shiro shook his head, leaning toward Keith to press a quick kiss to his temple. Keith seems to consider him for a moment and Shiro tries to smile in the hopes Keith will miss how absolutely exhausted he is.

“Come down here?” Keith asks, flopping back down onto the bed and holding his arms out to beckon Shiro closer.

Shiro snorts, pressing his human hand down into the mattress so he could lean over Keith, “I’m gonna crush you like that.”

Keith shoots him an unimpressed look and simply motions him to come closer with his hands. And, unable to deny Keith anything, Shiro finally lets Keith pull him down. Shiro hesitates one more moment and then allows himself to fully relax against him.

“Let me know if I’m too heavy,” he mumbles against Keith’s chest.

Keith laughs and Shiro can feel the vibrations of it under his head. There’s a moment of quiet and it’s not long before he can hear the steady rhythm of Keith’s heartbeat.

Keith’s arms wrap around him securely once more and Shiro is suddenly overcome with just how much he loves the man beneath him. How strong and beautiful and absolutely incredible he is. How he makes Shiro feel safe and loved. And it’s with this thought that Shiro lets himself give in to those feelings and he doesn’t know when he falls back asleep.

All he knows is that morning comes too soon.

But, he supposes, as Keith pulls him close to kiss him good morning and Keith’s hands begin to explore beneath Shiro’s clothes, that there would be plenty more time to sleep later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I written something like this before? Probably. But am I always here for Sheith cuddles after nightmares? Abso-fucking-lutely. Btw I have a twitter too if anyone’s interested: @midnightsong22 I promise I sometimes use it.


	3. Cannibalism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this was totally inspired by the new season of Bungou Stray Dogs (named for the episodes of the same name). But it's not really a crossover so no knowledge of bsd required. Also Pidge uses they/them pronouns in this.

**July 3rd - 24 Hours**

Allura stood before them with a clipboard held tightly to her chest and Keith felt his stomach drop as he took in her grim expression, eyes downcast and mouth set in a thin line. Coran stood to her left and slightly behind her, and he was uncharacteristically quiet. Shiro stood close beside Keith, his human hand reaching for Keith’s own.

“It’s some kind of… virus,” Allura started, holding her clipboard out to them which Shiro took quickly, “A virus that in 24 hours will kill the both of you, unless we can find an antidote.”

“And what if we can’t find an antidote?” Shiro asked, “Is there anything else we can do?”

Allura and Coran shared a look, obviously keeping something from them. Keith could only assume it was even worse news.

“There is another way,” Coran started but seemed to struggle to find the words, “But-you see... it is a  _ last _ resort. Under no circumstances will either of you consider this until the very last moment, do you understand?”

Keith could feel Shiro’s eyes on him but he stared ahead to Coran, dreading the words that would come next. They nodded and Keith felt Shiro squeeze his hand tightly.

“The virus has connected the two of you together. Your life forces anyway,” Coran continued, “If we can’t find a way to reverse it in time you both will die, unless… one of you dies first. If the connection is broken between the hosts, the virus will be destroyed with it.”

Keith closed his eyes, suddenly feeling the weight of both his own life and Shiro’s on his shoulders. It had only taken a split second and he already knew what he had to do. Shiro had already died once, and Keith was not going to let that happen again.

“Keith, look at me,” Shiro grabbed his shoulders to turn him and Keith slowly met his eyes, “We’ll figure this out.”

“I know Shiro,” Keith replied softly.

**22 Hours Remain**

When the paladins had first arrived on this small, seemingly harmless planet, they were simply answer a ship’s distress call that had crashed on its surface. They could have never expected the sinister virus that had spread itself across the planet. The Black Paladins had been the only two to go down to the planet’s surface, and they had unfortunately not taken the proper precautions. The moment they stepped off the ship they had been alerted by their suits that there was oxygen. Yet the suits didn’t account for what else was in the air.

The moment Shiro and Keith took a breath of the crisp air a strange sigil had appeared between them before disappearing just as quickly. But the damage had already been done and they were overcome with symptoms. Coughing, intense pain, and dizziness that had them both falling to their knees. They hardly got themselves back into the Black Lion and Keith struggled to pilot them back to the Atlas. Now they knew the crew of the crashed vessel had been killed by the virus long before Shiro and Keith had arrived on the scene.

And unfortunately, Allura’s diagnosis was incomplete. She knew what the virus would do to them but had no data on its origin or how to stop it. For now she could only give them pain meds to fight the symptoms.

Keith knocked his head back against the headrest of the Black Lion’s pilot chair. Shiro stood, an ever constant presence, behind him with his hand resting on Keith’s shoulder.

They had spent the past two hours in the lion scouring the surface of the small unnamed planet for any sign of intelligent life. Life that perhaps knew how to combat the virus. But no such luck. Sickeningly, they could only find empty ruins and sometimes alien remains, including those of the crew that had the unfortunate luck to crash on this hellish planet.

The other paladins were currently doing their part to rescue their infected comrades. Pidge was contacting every single ally they had to see if any information was known about the virus. Lance and Hunk had gone down to the surface in reinforced suits to collect samples of the fauna that might have produced the virus. And Allura and Coran took those samples to study.

Allura was convinced that the virus had started as a natural illness but dark magic had been used to enhance its effects, thus explaining the magic sigil Shiro and Keith had seen. However, that would imply there was a caster and perhaps if they could find them, they could reverse the spell.

“But why would someone make a virus like that  _ worse _ ?” Lance had asked, annoyed.

“I can only assume that it was used as some kind of biological warfare,” Allura replied, “If you can affect multiple enemies they would either die or be forced to kill one another to survive.”

“That’s so fucked up!” Pidge cried, "But we can stop it, right?"

"I… I don't know," Allura replied sadly, "But we have to try everything we can."

Keith heard a groan of pain from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He reached his hand back to cover Shiro’s but kept his eyes on the planet below. Keith also felt a stab of pain in his stomach, one of the many symptoms of the virus, and could only imagine how much worse it might get as they get closer to the end.

They searched for hours but came up empty.

There was no avoiding the heavy exhaustion that overcame the Black Paladins as time wore on. They only had just over half a day remaining, but they were forced to retreat back to the Atlas, both almost asleep on their feet.

The symptoms were taking a lot out of them and the pain was just getting worse.

Shiro pulled Keith by the hand into their room and down onto the bed. Keith snuggled as close as he could, hugging Shiro tightly to his chest. They would only sleep for an hour, it was decided, and despite their dire situation Keith drifted off quickly.

**12 Hours Remain**

Keith awoke, feeling a little bit better, and reached out to pull Shiro closer. 

But the space beside him was empty. 

He shot upright from the bed, already in panic, but was immediately calmed when he saw Shiro sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Keith edged quietly towards him, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shaking frame.

“I was going to leave,” Shiro admitted quietly.

“I know. I’ve thought about it too.” 

Shiro turned to look at him and Keith could see the pain and grief in Shiro’s gaze, “Keith, I can’t let you die. You have to let me go.”

Keith shook his head, arms tightening, “I’ve already mourned you twice. You can’t do this to me again Shiro. I  _ can’t _ do it again. We… we’ll just have to go together.”

Shiro let out a shuddering breath, twisting on the bed to hug Keith back. Keith moved his hands to instead cradle Shiro’s face and then leaned forward to press a kiss to Shiro’s forehead. And then to the scar across his nose and his cheeks, until he finally gave in and kissed him properly.

There was a desperation in this kiss that Keith had never experienced. Sure they’ve had adrenaline fueled kisses before and after missions, but this? This was Shiro pushing Keith down into the mattress and practically devouring him.  It was like they couldn’t get close enough. 

How could they possibly get close enough when they had so little time left? Keith felt dizzy and he no longer knew if it was a symptom of the virus or their breathless kisses.

They moved against one another, and Keith took his time exploring Shiro’s body, committing every moan and breathless sigh Shiro made to memory. And as they lay panting after they found release, Keith knew he had no regrets. If this was where his life would end, he had been so lucky to meet and have Shiro. That was enough. 

**6 Hours Remain**

Pidge slammed their hands down on the table, “There has to be something else we can do!”

The rest of the table remained silent, and it started to sink in just how hopeless their situation had become. Shiro and Keith were both bedridden, the full effects of the virus taking hold.

Allura and Coran had successfully replicated the antidote to the natural virus but, due to the nature of the dark magic, the antidote alone couldn’t reverse the damage. Pidge had also had no luck discovering any information from their allies either. No one had seen or heard of this planet or its virus before. Their only chance was to find the original caster. However, between Keith and Shiro’s visual search and the Atlas’ own scans for life, they all came up completely empty. It was possible the caster wasn't even on the planet anymore.

“Wh-What if we could find another one of those clone bodies of Shiro?” Hunk started, “I mean maybe if his soul was transferred to a new body… wouldn’t that be enough to break the spell?”

“Perhaps,” Allura replied, “But we’re not even sure if any of the clone bodies survived Keith and Kuron’s fight. And, even if we could find one in time, I’m honestly not sure that Shiro will survive yet another body transfer.”

Pidge sat for a few more minutes listening to the conversation but could tell it was going nowhere. They couldn’t just waste all their time here talking. They had to do something  _ now _ .

Pidge stood from the table and walked away without looking back.

**2 Hours Remain**

Shiro had been passed out for a while now and it was easy enough for Keith to sneak out of bed and slip out of the room without anyone noticing. The pain had spread from his stomach to his lungs and throat and, honestly,  _ everywhere _ just ached. He knew there wasn’t much time left. And he’d already made up his mind. He’d wait, like Coran said, for the very last moment. But when that moment came, he’d be ready to make the sacrifice.

He was not going to let Shiro die.

Keith stumbled his way into the hanger, bypassing the Black Lion to instead jump into a small fighter jet that had been assembled and brought from Earth. He entered the various launch codes and prepared himself. For a moment he hesitated. He wanted so badly to go back to their room, press himself close to his lover, and spend his last moments alive in Shiro’s arms. But then they would both die.

Taking a deep breath Keith started up the engine and resolved himself. However, just as he began to lift off, the sigil from before reappeared in front of him, burned brightly for a moment, and then burst in front of his eyes.

**2 Hours Remain (but somewhere else)**

Pidge coughed into their hand, ignoring the blood that collected on their glove. It had been four hours since Pidge first touched down on the virus’ planet and 2 hours since they’d taken off their helmet. Just as suspected, however, since they were the only living creature on the planet, only the natural virus was taking effect and the sigil hadn’t yet appeared.

Pidge stopped in front of another large scattering of ruins and placed their hand on the side of one of the broken walls that was covered in vines. They closed their eyes. The Olkari had taught them everything they needed to know about connecting with nature, and yet another scene appeared before them.

Pidge saw a memory of a group of druids running into what once had been a large cathedral-looking building and disappearing underneath the ground. Pidge opened their eyes and ran to the spot on the ground where they’d vanished, finding it covered with rotten wooden boards. It took a little while to cut through and move them aside, but below them was a stairwell leading underground.

Pidge followed, finding an old, dusty hallway that eventually led out into a large open room. In the center was a dark orb of quintessence and behind that, with its hands pressed against the orb, was a single druid.

Immediately drawing their bayard, Pidge readied to go on the attack, but the druid didn’t appear to notice them.

“Hey!” Pidge yelled at it, but still the druid did not move, “If you’re the one controlling the virus, I’m going to need you to stop!”

Pidge threw out their bayard and it connected with the druid’s mask, ripping it off, and Pidge froze in shock when they realized the druid was  _ dead.  _ The figure was still hunched over the orb, somehow generating energy, but all that was left of the druid itself were bones covered in its tattered robe.

“Okay, that’s horrifying,” Pidge said, pulling back their bayard and taking aim for a second shot.

Lining it up, they threw it again but this time connected directly with the orb, knocking it out of the druid’s hands and onto the floor. The glass container cracked and dark energy began to spill out.

“That can’t be good.”

The druid’s skeletal face snapped up to look at Pidge with glowing red eye sockets.

“Oh  _ shit _ !”

Pidge didn’t wait to watch what would happen next, running out of the room before the druid could figure out how to move its skeletal legs. P idge ran down the hallway, up the stairs, and tore out of the ruins. They called out to their Lion the whole time and luckily the Green Lion was ready and waiting when they burst outside. Without even hesitating the Green Lion shot from her tail behind Pidge, where the druid had been catching up. Pidge turned back in time to see the druid get knocked back and a large sigil appear in front of it before exploding in a burst of light.

The druid collapsed and Pidge decided to get the fuck out of there.

  
  


When Pidge returned to the hanger, Keith was waiting for them.

“You actually did it,” he said with a tired smile.

“Sure. Yeah. No problem, but why are you not in bed!” Pidge scolded, helping Keith stand up and pulling him back towards their rooms by his hand, “Allura still needs to treat the virus with the antidote now that the spell is broken. You could still die if you’re not careful!”

“It looks like you need the antidote too,” Keith shot back, elbowing Pidge in the side.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine,” Pidge replied, and Keith could swear he saw tears in their eyes.

“You okay? You didn’t get hurt down there?”

“I’m fine, it’s just… We almost didn’t make it. If it wasn’t for what I learned from the Olkari, I never would have found the source of the magic in time. You and Shiro would have both died and we would have just had to sit there and watch.”

Keith didn’t speak for a moment, letting himself get pulled down the hallways of the Atlas. He didn’t tell Pidge that Shiro would have been fine in the end. But if he could guess from the looks they were giving him, Pidge already knew why Keith had been in the hanger.

“You’re not allowed to die either, okay?”

Keith smiled, still unused to having so many people who cared about him, “Okay.”

**2 Hours Later**

With the antidote distributed to the three paladins, Shiro, Keith, and Pidge were already on their way to a full recovery.

The moment Pidge and Keith had walked through the bedroom door Shiro had pulled them both into a tight hug. Keith knew that Shiro was going to chew him out later for leaving in the first place, but for now they simply took the time to appreciate being alive.

Pidge had gone back to their own room to rest and Allura went about preparing the Atlas for launch so that Shiro didn’t have to. The rest of the team was working on alerting all of their allies about the planet and its virus.

Now that a couple of hours have passed the symptoms have mostly abated, and Shiro and Keith were finishing off some delicious food goo prepared by Hunk.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” Keith said softly, avoiding Shiro’s eyes as they cuddled close on their couch.

“I know how stubborn you can be. Honestly I should have handcuffed us together,” Shiro teased, pressing a kiss to the side of Keith’s head, “You really scared me when I woke up and you weren’t there. When the sigil was destroyed I was sure you were-”

Shiro cut off, unable to say it out loud.

“I’m just... glad you’re back,” Shiro said instead.

Keith finally met Shiro’s eyes again, “It’s good to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I totally used the sheith quote at the end. And okay so I actually really liked the concept of the Olkari nature powers Pidge got in the last season and I just wish they could have done more with it or explained it better?? I realized after writing the druid scene that I basically described the botw 2 trailer but with the druid in place of Ganon. Woops. Also This ended up way longer than expected and I'm not sure if it all made sense in the end but you know what? I had fun with it! But I think I'll be going back to short sappy drabbles after this, please and thank you.


	4. Festival

**July 4th - Free Day**

Keith smiled as he sat on the edge of their bed, watching Shiro practically bounce around the room.

“You seem excited,” he commented, and Shiro turned to him with a bright smile.

“We haven’t been to a festival on Earth in what? Five years? Think Keith,” Shiro paused in getting ready to sit on the bed beside his husband, “Funnel cakes, cotton candy, and all kinds of overpriced fried food!”

“So your  _ stomach _ is excited,” Keith laughed, “Anything else?”

“I’m going to win you so many prizes,” Shiro replied, wiggling the fingers of his Altean arm.

“Not if I win them for you first.”

Shiro flashed him another smile and went back to getting ready. Keith glanced over to his own packed bag. He wasn’t bringing too much, but he hoped Shiro would be happy with his surprise.

Kosmo warped onto the bed beside him, causing the bed to dip drastically. Keith absentmindedly pet Kosmo as he thought about exactly why they were back on Earth. Eight years ago to this day, the Galra had officially surrendered and the universe had been saved. And exactly a year after the end of the war Shiro and Keith had married.

There was still a lot of work to be done to repair the universe, but in the most recent years Shiro and Keith had just been traveling in the fastest (and most comfortable) vessel they could find. It was everything Keith could have ever wanted. Exploring the universe and its mysteries with his best friend and love of his life.

Seven years of marriage and Keith still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have Shiro.

“Ready?” Shiro asked.

“Ready,” Keith replied easily.

Night fell quickly on the festivities and Shiro was exhausted. But the good kind of exhausted. He and Keith had spent all day participating in the events celebrating 8 years of peace. In the morning it had started with a large tribute on stage to the fallen. Unfortunately, Hunk and Pidge couldn’t make it to the festival this year. But Allura had arrived the night before with Lance and their three year old daughter, and had led the tribute with her family by her side.

Afterwards, the festival had truly begun and Keith and Shiro were free to roam. They had way too much fried food and had competed to win one another the most prizes (most of which they had ended up giving away to nearby kids). However, Keith had held onto a Black Lion plush Shiro had won from throwing balls at cans. And Shiro had kept a Voltron action figure Keith had won from hitting the bell on the strength tester game.

Keith was now pulling him away from the festivities, and Shiro was more than happy to let his husband lead the way. They strolled hand in hand along lit paths until Keith finally veered right and up a grassy hill.

Once they reached the top, Keith let go of his hand and Shiro watched as he put down his bag and began to empty its contents. First came a thin blanket he spread down on the ground and then a bottle of champagne and two wine glasses. Keith sat down cross legged on the blanket and patted the space beside him.

“I love you,” Shiro smiled, quickly taking his place by Keith’s side and accepting the glass Keith passed to him.

“I love you too,” Keith replied, popping the bottle of champagne and pouring Shiro and himself a glass, “And happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary Keith,” Shiro repeated, clinking his glass to Keith’s.

And as they began to settle in, Shiro heard the familiar sound of fireworks taking off in the distance. He looked back ahead just in time to see the burst of color and lights in the sky. He felt Keith snuggle against him and Shiro put his human arm around Keith’s shoulders to pull him closer.

After a few minutes Shiro peeked at his husband, only to find Keith already watching him.

“You’re beautiful, Shiro.”

Instead of answering Shiro closed the distance and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still July 4th here so I am not late! Something short and sweet since I was busy most of the day.


	5. I'll Destroy it all, but Hold on to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back to s6 we go. Black Paladins is still the best episode.

**July 5th - Creation / Destruction**

Keith looked up. He saw the place where his knife was embedded in the metal platform, the only thing he could hold on to to keep them from falling. He watched the structures of the clone facility collapse and saw fiery explosions that made metal shrapnel begin to rain down from above. He even saw one of the many glass containers come hurtling down and past them, and he tried not to think of the clone body that would still be inside.

Their fight had destroyed everything.

Then Keith looked down at the man he loves most. Shiro was unconscious and limp, completely unaware of the drop that awaited them. Keith would never let go, not even as he felt his knife begin to slip.

A closer explosion from above them shook the entire platform and then it fell loose. The metal under Keith’s knife gave way and they were freefalling with the rest of the rubble.

Keith knew it was over and yet he still wouldn’t let go. And he wouldn’t give in to fear. He simply continued to watch Shiro. His mentor. His role model. His best friend. And the person he loves most.

_ I will never give up on you. _

He took one last look at Shiro’s face and closed his eyes.

Keith looked down at the man in his arms. Allura had figured out a way to use the Witch’s creation to give Shiro a second chance. The transfer of his soul from the Black Lion to the clone body had been a success.

_ Shiro’s going to be okay. _

The thought almost made tears gather in Keith’s eyes. He was never going to let Shiro die again. He was going to save him as many times as it takes.

Keith looked up at the Black Lion who stood above them with the other lions.

“Thank you,” Keith whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short one this time since I didn't quite find the inspiration for this prompt. Still, hope you liked it!


	6. I'm Drunk on You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning I guess? This isn't by any means explicit but very brief mentions/hints of sex.

**July 6th - Business**

Keith shifted in his lap and Shiro tried not to groan out loud. Instead he closed his eyes and prayed to whatever god that might listen that no one would notice his… predicament. Especially not Keith.

The employees of Altea Corporation were currently celebrating their CEO’s engagement to her fiance. President Allura and her lover Lance had been dating for the better part of 2 years, so no one was surprised when the announcement came that morning in the office. Hunk had then suggested that everyone hit up a bar after work that day to celebrate the couple.

However, the short notice meant cramming dozens of employees into an unsuspecting bar that had Allura apologizing profusely and offering extra cash to the owner. The bar they had ended up at was called Little Root Tavern, and was actually owned by Shiro’s friend Matt Holt, who was more than happy to host the party. But as the name suggests, Little Root was not a very large establishment, forcing everyone to pack in like sardines.

The only spot that would fit them was one long table in the center of the room where they could sit on the floor. Shiro slipped his way to a spot where he could sit cross legged and lean against the wall, and Keith had taken his usual space beside him. As many people as possible crammed around that table and as the alcohol was served, Shiro found himself getting squished from both sides. What Shiro hadn’t expected was a very tipsy Keith to climb into his lap halfway through the night, grumbling about how crowded it was. Shiro knew his face had gone red and he avoided making eye contact with Lance who was smirking at them.

Now Shiro was trying to keep calm as his best friend (and longtime crush) sat firmly in his lap, every so often shifting in an attempt to get comfortable. Moving in ways that almost had Shiro choking on his alcohol.

“Anything else I can get for you all?” Matt asked the party, making eye contact with Shiro and raising an eyebrow at Shiro’s situation.

People called out more orders, and Shiro reached around Keith to pass his empty glass to Matt.

_ Don’t ask,  _ Shiro mouthed to him, and Matt smirked.

“How about another round of shots?” Matt announced to the table, “This round on the house for the happy couple!”

The party cheered, raising their glasses to Allura and Lance, but Shiro glared at Matt, who had been pointedly looking at him and Keith when he’d said it. Shiro suddenly regretted ever telling Matt about his feelings for Keith.

“Shiro? I’m sorry, I’m probably heavy aren’t I?” Keith asked, twisting to catch Shiro’s eye.

“N-No you’re fine!”

“Okay,” Keith smiled and turned back to his drink, while Shiro internally cursed himself.

That was probably the only chance he’d get to get Keith off of him. Keith really  _ wasn’t  _ heavy but Shiro’s own problem wasn’t getting any better. He kept finding himself watching Keith, the way he’d laugh at something Allura or Pidge had said. The way his cheeks flushed from the alcohol and how sometimes he’d lean back against Shiro’s chest before realizing what he’d done and leaned forward again. Shiro hated that distance and he desperately wanted to wrap his arms around Keith’s waist and pull him back again.

But that would be crossing a line that Shiro wouldn’t risk crossing.

Not when the past two years have been some of the best of his life. When he’d first met Keith at Altea Corp they’d hit it off immediately. Keith had gone from the new employee Shiro mentored to best friend in a ridiculously short amount of time. Being with Keith was easy and fun and exhilarating. After long days at the office it was common for Shiro to find himself on the back of Keith’s motorcycle, riding up through the forest to find someplace to watch the stars. Or to a shitty diner where they’d talk over fries and shakes. Or even to Shiro’s apartment where they’d watch and laugh at the new season of Boltron: Legendary Attacker and it’s bad writing.

No matter what they did Shiro felt  _ happy.  _ And he wouldn’t give it up for the world. Even if every time they hung out it felt like a date and Shiro wanted nothing more then to swoop down and kiss Keith absolutely senseless. How Keith would probably be just as forward and aggressive with his kisses as he was on the training mat when they sparred at the gym.  _ God,  _ did Keith look good when he was on the mat…

And this is  _ not  _ what he should be thinking about when Keith is in his lap.

“Well, I think it’s about time we head out,” Allura announced, which was immediately met by complaints from the party, “Oh please. Unlike some of you who get weekends off with the company, the CEO’s job is never done.”

“You heard the lady,” Lance said, grabbing Allura’s coat from the floor and helping her pull it on, “You all can stay and continue to toast to our well-being. We’ll let you know when the wedding will be.”

And with that (and a few finger guns from Lance), Allura and her fiance left the party.

“I bet that’s nice,” Keith mumbled, suddenly leaning back and resting his head on Shiro’s shoulder with his face turned slightly towards Shiro’s own.

Shiro could smell the alcohol on his breath, “What?”

“You know,” Keith paused and Shiro’s heart skipped a beat when Keith looked down at Shiro’s lip’s, “Being in a relationship.”

Keith looked back up at Shiro’s eyes and for a split second Shiro was certain Keith was going to kiss him. But Keith sat back up and finally stood from Shiro’s lap.

“I’ll be right back,” Keith said and Shiro watched him walk towards the bathrooms.

Shiro let out a breath, and scooted forward so that his lap was directly under the table. He tried to think about anything besides Keith or otherwise he wouldn’t be able to walk out of this bar without people noticing he was half hard.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

“What’s that Shiro?” Pidge’s voice came from across the table, “Don’t tell me having your crush in your lap all night has been a problem for you?”

“ _ Pidge,”  _ he hissed out, eyes darting about to the remaining employees around the table.

“Oh come on Shiro,” Pidge continued, ignoring his complaint, “Everyone knows how you feel. Honestly, we’re all just surprised it hasn’t happened yet.”

“I should have never told Matt,” Shiro lamented, to which Pidge laughed.

“Oh please, Matt didn’t need to tell me. You’re obvious.”

Hunk nodded beside Pidge, “Yeah I mean even Lance has you figured out, and it took him  _ months _ to figure out Shay and I were dating. We weren’t even trying to hide it! It took me kissing Shay right in front of him!”

Shiro sighed again as the others continued their discussion about Shiro’s love life. Eventually he took a peek at his watch and looked over towards the bathroom again. Keith was taking a while.

“Plus, Keith is totally into yo-” Pidge started.

“I’ll be right back,” Shiro interrupted, pushing himself up off the ground.

He felt a bit dizzy from the quick change of elevation but at least he wasn’t drunk. He made his way over to the bathroom door and pushed his way inside. His eyes immediately locked on to Keith, who stood at the bathroom mirror, hands braced on the sink and head down.

“Keith? Are you okay?”

Keith jumped, apparently not having heard him enter and turned to face him, “Yeah I’m fine, just a little queasy. I had a little too much.”

“Do you want me to call you a cab?”

Keith paused, seeming to take a moment to just look at him. Shiro tried not to let it affect him, but Keith looked like he was searching for something. There was a heat in Keith’s eyes that Shiro wasn’t used to. Eventually Keith looked away, turning back to the mirror.

“Yeah,” he finally said, “I should probably go home.”

Keith pushed away from the mirror and Shiro followed him out of the bathroom. They said their goodbyes to their friends and made their way outside. They stood on the street corner in front of the bar. It was quieter outside, the only noises were the muffled sounds of merriment behind the bar’s door and the cars passing them by.

“Sorry about in there,” Keith suddenly said.

“What about?”

“I-I shouldn’t have, you know, gotten into your space like that. I know I was in the way.”

“No Keith, it was fine. Honest,” Shiro replied easily, because it was the truth. It  _ was _ fine, Shiro was the one who made it weird.

“Oh, that’s good,” Keith seemed to visibly relax beside him, “So, just curious, was I imagining you having a hard on in there?”

Shiro felt his stomach drop and he had the sudden desire to get swallowed up by the ground beneath his feet. He continued to stare ahead, feeling Keith’s eyes on him, and he felt his face heat considerably.

“Shiro you don’t have to freak out, it’s fine,” Keith laughed, and then shuffled his feet, “I was actually kind of hoping you’d kiss me in there.”

Shiro’s head whipped towards him but now it was Keith’s turn to look away with a blush dusting his cheeks. Shiro watched him for a few moments and then made up his mind.

“Well… can I kiss you now instead?”

Keith turned back, “Please.”

Shiro stepped closer into Keith’s space and Keith immediately wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders. There was one more moment of hesitation as they stared at one another, and then Keith was pushing up on his toes to meet Shiro halfway.

It was like a spark between them and Shiro immediately wanted more. He pushed Keith back against the concrete wall of Little Root, and Keith hugged him even tighter as he was pinned. He felt Keith bite and suck at his bottom lip and he groaned, his hands coming up to Keith’s face to hold him still as they kissed deeper.

At least until he heard the bell above the tavern door ring as the door swung open. Shiro pulled back just in time to see Pidge and Matt walk out of the building.

Pidge saw them first.

“Finally!”

Shiro felt his ears burn but he wasn’t sure if it was from being caught or from Keith whispering in his ear.

_ Come home with me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day I write something short and sweet. The next I write and don't know when to stop. Either way here's day 6 done, and many to go. Come give me a shout on tumblr: sideofsaltblog.tumblr.com or on twitter: @midnightsong22 (or in the comments!) Thank you for reading!


	7. Making Things Public

**July 7th - Public**

“I just don’t get why you haven’t asked him out yet!” Lance argued, “You two have been dancing around each other for months!”

Keith rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his slushie to keep himself from smiling.

“It just takes time Lance,” Keith finally answered, shoving a couple fries in his mouth and ignoring his friends’ exhausted groans.

“Keith.”

“Yes Pidge?”

“Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith,  _ Keith _ ,” Pidge repeated, until Keith met their eyes, “If you and Shiro don’t just fucking make out already I’m going to scream. You two are being  _ ridiculous. _ ”

“Okay gross,” Lance interjected, “But Pidge is also right. I am sick of watching you look at Shiro like some kind of lovesick puppy.”

“Come on guys give him a rest,” Hunk finally cut in, “Keith and Shiro get to decide what their relationship is, regardless of what we think.”

“Thank you Hunk,” Keith said.

“Although I also think you two should get together already,” Hunk added.

Keith sighed but also couldn’t help but smile as he watched the door to the diner open and Shiro and Allura walked in.

“There’s my favorite person!” Lance exclaimed, standing to greet his girlfriend and peck her on the cheek.

“How’s senior thesis life treating you two?” Keith asked.

Shiro groaned as he sat beside him, leaning his weight into Keith.

“Horrible,” Shiro replied, to which Keith offered a couple fries in comfort.

Shiro took them gratefully and started talking at length about his project. Both Allura and Shiro were senior grad students working on completing their Masters programs in biochemistry. Allura chimed in at times with complaints about their professor, Dr. Slav, or the ridiculous expectations of the course workload.

“So what were you all talking about when we walked in?” Shiro finally asked, wanting a change of subject.

“Oh, uh,” Lance started, glancing around the table, “Nothing important really.”

Keith snorted, drawing Shiro’s attention, “Oh they just want us to, as Pidge put it, make out already.”

Keith watched as Lance’s mouth dropped open.

“Oh is that all?” Shiro asked nonchalantly, leaning in to Keith’s space.

Keith smiled and leaned forward just enough to peck Shiro on the lips, trying to keep from laughing as the table seemed to erupt with sound around them.

“Since when have you-” “Congrats you two-” “Fucking finally!”

Shiro burst into laughter beside him and the sound was infectious, finally making Keith laugh as well. Keith reached for Shiro’s hand and Shiro easily took it. It was totally worth waiting a couple weeks before telling their friends and making this whole relationship thing public. Shiro went on to tell the whole story about how they confessed and Keith just sat relishing in the warmth of Shiro’s hand in his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was way too busy today (you know, like watching stranger things s3). But even though this ended up shorter (and honestly a bit rushed), I like how it turned out. I hope you did too!


	8. Won't Move On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning (?) Brief mentions of Adam in this one. Callback to season one Keith and his year in the desert.

July 8th - ~~Worship~~ / **Obsession**

Keith sat on the couch staring intently at the wall of his shack. There were probably over a hundred pins stuck in the wood but Keith still felt like it wasn’t enough. He had to know more. Every night he felt it. Whatever _it_ was, drawing him deeper and deeper into the desert. He had found so many cave drawings all depicting this lion, and Keith took pictures of every single one, adding it to the ever growing gallery on his wall.

His eyes drifted for a moment, settling briefly on a photograph that still made his heart ache. It was a picture shortly before the Kerberos launch, of Shiro and him standing on the platform in front of the ship that Shiro would fly through space.

He snapped his eyes back to his project but it was too late. The tears were already falling. They came too easily these days.

Keith stood up from the couch and stumbled to the front door. As soon as he got outside he leaned against the porch railing and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

Shiro’s gone. _No, he has to come back._ But they said the ship crashed, it was pilot error. _They’re lying! Shiro would never crash! He’s still out there! I can feel it!_

_He has to be out there!_

It was late but Keith couldn’t stay cooped up any longer. He needed to find it, this thing that was calling to him.

He pushed back inside his apartment, grabbing his duffel bag and stuffing it with all his equipment. His camera, some water and other provisions, first aid kit, rope, compass, flashlight...

“Batteries,” he muttered, rummaging around for extras.

He yanked open the drawer to his bedside table and stopped short when he remembered why he’d kept it shut. No batteries, the only contents of the drawer was the small black journal Keith had refused to open again.

Adam had given it to him weeks ago. He had appeared on Keith’s doorstep, with no indication of how he’d found Keith there.

“I think he would have wanted you to have this,” was what Adam had said, passing the journal to him.

Keith had flipped to the first entry and when he saw Shiro’s handwriting he had snapped the journal shut.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Keith had asked.

Adam didn’t answer at first, seeming to pause to look behind Keith instead. His eyes lingered on the wall behind him, taking in the pins and string. Then to Keith’s hiking gear, camera, and other equipment that were strewn across the table.

“You’re obsessed Keith,” Adam had finally said, “You need to move on.”

Keith didn’t answer, and as Adam left Keith slammed the door behind him.

But now Keith couldn’t stop the curiosity that had been eating away at him for weeks and he picked up the journal and flipped open the cover. The first entry was fairly plain, dated a few months before the launch and was just Shiro documenting his day at the Garrison. It took Keith reading through the first ten pages before Shiro suddenly switched focus. Instead of details about meetings and the mission, he was writing about people.

Keith felt his hands shake when he realized what he was doing. If he read this he’d be prying into Shiro’s personal life without his permission. If he read this… he’d be admitting Shiro was really gone.

But just as he made to shut the journal forever he saw his name.

_Keith is still one of the best students in the Garrison. Today he beat my 2 year record for the asteroid belt sim flight. It pisses me off as a fellow competitor, but I’m so fucking proud of him._

It was one little passage but it tore at Keith’s heart. Shiro wrote about _him_ too. He flipped a few more pages and started to see his name come up more and more.

_Keith and I went down to Jim’s Diner in town after curfew on my hoverbike. We spent all afternoon riding in the desert but I just didn’t want to go back yet. I’ve been so stressed with the mission coming up and Adam still won’t talk to me. I know he’s upset but this mission means everything to me. Being with Keith is fun and lets me forget the stress for a little while. I never expected it, but Keith has become my best friend._

This entry was shortly followed by Shiro and Adam’s breakup. Keith decided not to read the whole passage. But skipped again to where he saw his name.

 _I finally told Keith about my disease. But then… He asked me what_ I _wanted to do. I told him I was going on the mission._

From there the journal shifted back to details of the upcoming launch. Keith kept reading, unable to stop, until he flipped the page and the next was blank. In a panic he flipped through every single empty page till the end, but there was nothing more. A sob tore out of his throat as he closed the journal and held it tightly to his chest.

This was all that was left of Shiro, but there wasn’t nearly enough.

He walked numbly back to his wall of research. His wall of _obsession._ He picked up his notepad and wrote without thinking: _It’s killing me when you’re away._

He pinned the note to the wall, grabbed his duffel bag, and walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made myself sad.


	9. Powered Down

July 9th - **Trapped**

“Black let us out!” Keith yelled, pounding on the hanger door, but still the lion refused to budge.

From the cockpit, Shiro pressed a few buttons on the console, but without power there was no response. He kept his prosthetic arm lifted in the air a bit, to let the glow illuminate the console, but Shiro had the sinking feeling that they were stuck.

“Shit,” Keith muttered, stalking back to where Shiro stood and slumping into the pilot’s chair beside him.

“Luckily our distress signal is working,” Shiro said, “The others will find us in no time.”

Keith nodded but didn’t look at Shiro. Silence fell between them and for once it wasn't comfortable. There was still tension left over from their argument, that left Keith especially on edge. It had been what distracted him until he realized too late that the Black Lion was powering down mid-flight and they had crash landed on the ground of some desert planet.

And now they were trapped.

“Keith I’m sorry,” Shiro said, breaking the silence and leaning against the console in front of him.

“I just don’t understand what the big deal is,” Keith replied, “Honestly I never thought I’d go back to Earth after this was all over.”

Keith glanced up at Shiro but Shiro wasn’t looking at him. What Keith could see from Shiro’s expression just looked like… disappointment.

“Look, there’s nothing left for me on Earth,” Keith tried again, “My place is with the Blades, with Krolia and Kolivan.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Silence again.

“You could come with me, If you want.”

Shiro finally looked at him and Keith felt his heart leap in his chest.

“I mean you don’t have to but I know that you don’t really have anyone left on Earth either. I know you have your own goals and I’m not trying to suggest you give up everything to come with me. But the Blade would be happy to have you. And you don’t have to answer now but-”

“Keith,” Shiro cut in and Keith immediately shut up, realizing he was rambling.

“Shiro?”

“I want to go with you but,” Shiro paused, and Keith closed his eyes as he felt his heart drop in disappointment, “I’m in love with you.”

Keith’s eyes snapped back open and he looked up at Shiro, noting the way his cheeks were reddening in the glowing light of his Altean arm.

“Then what’s the problem exactly?”

Shiro’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Because… you don’t love me like that.”

They sat staring at one another for a moment and Keith let out a sigh.

“Shiro?” he finally asked.

“Yes?”

“Will you just kiss me already?”

He watched Shiro’s mouth drop open in shock and he almost laughed. But, more importantly, he reached out to grab Shiro’s arm to pull him closer. Almost as if in a daze Shiro came forward and dropped his knee onto the pilot’s chair between Keith’s legs. Shiro’s hand came up to rest gently on Keith’s face, gently caressing the scar on his cheek. Keith leaned into the touch.

“I love you too Shiro,” he whispered, and in the next moment Shiro was closing the distance.

And fuck, Shiro was a good kisser.

“Shiro! Keith! Are you there?”

They jolted apart, startled by Pidge’s voice coming over loud and clear on the comms. Shiro stood up and turned back to the now brightly lit console. It was as though the Lion had never been powered down in the first place.

Keith felt a rumble in his mind and suddenly he realized what happened. The Black Lion had done this on  _ purpose.  _ She must have powered down to stop them from fighting and-

Keith blushed, pressing his fingers to his lips.

He couldn’t even muster up the strength to be upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Losing steam... I've forgotten how hard it is to write something new every day so bear with me. Thank you for reading this far! Comments are always appreciated!


	10. Ten Cents

**July 10th - Ten Cents**

A 5-year-old Keith stood pouting in front of the candy display, crushing the only dollar bill he had in his hand. He looked imploringly at the lineup of _good_ candy-the Kitkats and Reeses and Hershey’s chocolate bars. They all said they cost $1 but Keith knew from experience that it was lying.

Stupid register applying whatever the heck tax is.

He sighed, resigning himself to the lower shelves of lower tier candy.

“What are you getting?” came an unknown voice from behind him and Keith whipped around to face the stranger.

He looked up to see another kid with black hair, maybe a few years older than him, smiling at Keith with a grin that was missing one of his front teeth. Keith hesitated for a moment. His mom and dad always told him not to talk to strangers, especially when he was alone. But another kid was fine right?

“I want a chocolate bar,” Keith replied, pointing to the display, “But I only have a dollar.”

Keith turned back to his choices, not even bothering to consider the gum, and instead moving on to the sugary candy at the bottom. He heard rummaging from the boy behind him but ignored him.

“Here!” the kid suddenly said, holding out his hand so that Keith could see.

The boy was holding a dime.

“You’re giving this to me?” Keith asked, confused by the random kindness.

“Yeah! That should be enough right?”

Keith paused but frowned, “My mom told me I can’t take anything from strangers.”

“Oh,” the other boy frowned too and seemed to think for a second, “Okay! Well I’m Shiro! What’s your name?”

“Keith.”

“Nice to meet you Keith!” Shiro smiled and held out his hand again, “Now do you want this?”

Keith nodded and Shiro placed the dime into Keith’s hand. Keith grabbed one of the chocolate bars he’d been eyeing and placed it on the counter for the cashier to ring up. Shiro followed behind him.

“Why hello there Keith,” Mr. Coran, the shopkeeper said, “Where’s your mother today?”

“She’s next door at the post office,” Keith replied as Coran rung him up.

“Good good,” Coran said, taking Keith’s money and giving him three pennies as change, “Make sure to go straight back to your mom okay?”

“Okay!” Keith turned to Shiro holding out the three cents, “Here’s the change.”

Shiro took them with a smile and put them in his pocket.

“Aren’t you getting anything?” Keith asked.

“Nah,” Shiro shrugged.

Keith paused for a second and then opened up his candy bar. He broke off the first chunk and held it out for Shiro to take, “Thank you for the ten cents.”

“No problem,” Shiro replied and took the piece gratefully.

“Takashi, we’re leaving now,” came a woman’s voice by the door.

“Sorry, gotta go!” Shiro said with a wave, shoving the chocolate in his mouth.

Keith laughed and waved back.

What Keith didn't expect was for Takashi Shirogane and his family to move in next door that very same day.

Luckily they hit it off pretty quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest with ya lads, wasn't too sure about this prompt or how I filled it. But it is done and now I can move on


	11. Severed Connection

**July 11th - Free Day**

Shiro stood outside of his apartment and held out his hand, admiring the thin red string wrapped around his pinky. Not for the first time, Shiro tried to imagine what his soulmate must be like. Would his soulmate be loud and outgoing or more reserved and quiet? Would they be tall or short? Where would they be from? Would his soulmate like space as much as he does?

Shiro sighed, following the direction of the red string upwards until it disappeared high in the sky.

He still wasn’t sure what that meant.

Out of everyone he’s talked to, no one has ever had a string that went up to the sky. No, he’d only ever heard of people either not having one at all or their string would be cut if their soulmate had died. Maybe Shiro’s string just didn’t work right. Is there someone who can fix a faulty string of fate?

“Are you ready to go Shiro?” Professor Holt called from the waiting car.

“We can’t get to Kerberos without you!” Matt added.

Shiro smiled, turning back to his team. He was going on the mission. And maybe one day he’ll get the answers he’s searching for.

For months, Shiro fought hard in the Galran arena, doing everything he could to stay alive. He had to believe that one day he’d escape, return to Earth, and get backup to come save the Holts. It sometimes felt impossible but it was enough to keep him going.

Today he was fighting a huge monster, powerful but stupid. Shiro ran behind one of the arena’s many columns and waited for the monster to plow right into it. He took the opportunity while it was stunned to hack away at it. As the monster regained control of itself Shiro ran behind yet another pillar, preparing for another attack.

But that was when he saw it. His string was suddenly pulling taut and for once it was somewhere ahead of him instead of above him. He held his arm out, reaching towards it. In his moment of distraction he didn’t notice the monster grow wise to his strategy and before Shiro could react the monster took a swipe.

The string disappeared as his arm was severed from his body.

In a last ditch effort for survival he threw his knife and it hit right between the monster’s eyes.

And then he passed out.

Days later Shiro sat in his cell, clutching at his shoulder that was racked with pain where the new arm was attached. He groaned, trying his best to stay conscious. He tried not to think about the fact that his red string was gone.

It had been torn away along with his arm.

He stared for a moment at his new prosthetic and the empty spot on its metal pinky.

For the first time in months, Shiro sobbed.

The door to Shiro’s cell slammed open and an oddly small guard entered the room. His metal helmet looked too big for his head.

“Come with me,” He said, motioning for Shiro to follow.

Shiro knew better than to argue and he followed the soldier out. However, as he was led down halls he’d never seen before, he began to grow nervous. He wasn’t being led to the arena.

“Where are you taking me?”

The guard didn’t stop and Shiro tried to weigh his options. Was now the time? Would this be his only chance to escape? Taking the guard’s size into things, Shiro was pretty sure he could overpower him.

Shiro’s metal hand glowed as it powered up and, with only a moment of hesitation, he went in for the kill. But before his arm could make contact, the guard’s foot hit him square in the chest, pushing him away and his back hit the wall. Before he could even blink, the guard was upon him with a long blade pressed to his throat.

The guard glanced side to side before ripping off his helmet and glaring at him.

“Do you think you could maybe not try to kill me when I’m helping you escape?”

Shiro stood in open mouthed shock because this Galran was… beautiful. Unlike so many other Galra he’d met this man didn’t have the usual glowing yellow eyes, but actual pupils with purple irises. His dark hair was pulled into a braid and he had dark purple streaks running up his purple furred cheeks.

“Uh-” Shiro started, eloquent as always, “Yeah sure. Escaping sounds good.”

“Good,” The man replied, drawing the sword back and Shiro watched as it turned into a smaller dagger.

“Halt!”

Shiro whipped around to see a Galran sentry behind them with gun raised.

“Shit,” the man muttered and threw the dagger directly in the sentry’s chest, “We’re going!”

Alarms began to blare and, after the Galran retrieved his dagger, he grabbed onto Shiro’s wrist and dragged him away. Shiro ran behind him, trying to ignore the way his heart was beating out of his chest. There was no way they could escape. Not with Haggar on board. They were going to-

“In here!”

Shiro was pushed quickly into a small ship and the Galran immediately went for the controls. Shiro’s stomach lurched as the ship lifted off the ground and zoomed towards the hanger door. 

To Shiro’s surprise the hanger door opened and he heard the Galran mutter under his breath, “Thanks Ulaz.”

But they weren’t out of the woods yet, because there were already multiple fighter jets on their tail.

“Hey Champion, take the controls!” he said and Shiro barely had time to react before the Galran stood from the display.

“Fuck!”’ Shiro cried, diving for the controls, and steadying them, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Come on, you’re a pilot right? Then get us out of here!”

Shiro heard tinkering behind him but couldn’t look back, focusing on avoiding the incoming fire from the fighters. They both jolted forward when one beam clipped the side of the ship.

“Alright, we need to find cover! Fly us over to that debris!”

Shiro obeyed, flying them around the scrap metal and behind one of the larger chunks.

_ Cloaking engaged,  _ said a robotic voice over the comms.

“Okay, slow us down and we’ll blend right in.”

Shiro flew them right along side the debris and they watched as the fighters flew right past.

“Shit that was close,” the Galran looked at him, “Not bad Champion, maybe you  _ are  _ worth the trouble of saving.”

Shiro took a second to calm down, hardly believing they’d managed to escape. Shiro let out a breath. He  _ escaped. _

“Not champion,” He finally said, reaching out his right hand on instinct, “The name’s Shiro.”

The Galran seemed to study Shiro’s prosthetic for a moment and Shiro almost drew it back, but the Galran took it, “Keith.”

_ Oddly human name,  _ Shiro thought but then his brain stuttered to a halt. Because as he drew his hand back a red string appeared and tied itself onto his metal pinky. His eyes followed the string to where the other end was tied to Keith’s pinky.

“You’re my soulmate,” Shiro whispered.

Keith stared at him.

“Yeah,” was all Keith could say.

Six months later and Shiro was officially a member of the Blade of Marmora, joining in the ranks alongside his soulmate. Keith had told him how his mother Krolia had met his father on Earth, but ultimately the family had left the planet when the Galran empire found them.

Keith doesn’t remember much of Earth so Shiro tells him stories as they fall asleep at night. They still have a lot of work to do to rescue the Holts and try to take down the Empire, but for now Shiro was more than content to tell Keith about the Garrison. Or about his Grandfather. Or even just about ice cream and friend food. With Keith cuddled close, Shiro felt they could do anything. He glanced down to where their red string curled around them. Connecting them.

Shiro smiled and pulled Keith closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do a soulmate au, eat that shit up.


	12. Timing is Everything (pt 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally do this, but this chapter is actually a sequel to the first chapter of this drabble collection!

**July 12th - Lawful / Lawless**

Keith cursed again, whipping around a corner and trying not to think about how the cops were right on his tail. His other teammates had already been caught and he was the only one left. If he could just get to the cage, he could set them free. But of course Shiro was waiting for him. Just as Keith tore around the last corner on his motorbike, he was intercepted by a green shell.

“Fuck!” He yelled and Shiro laughed beside him.

Keith tried to regain control but it was too late. Shiro’s kart came up right beside him and Keith was caught by Shiro’s piranha plant.

“Got ya,” Shiro said, elbowing Keith in the side.

Keith grumbled but conceded victory. He could hardly believe that after he’d proposed earlier that evening Shiro had wanted to play  _ more  _ Mariokart. This time, however, they were trying the cops and robbers stage. Keith couldn’t help but look over ever so often to look at the ring he’d placed on Shiro’s finger. It made happiness bubble up in his chest even as he lost.

“It’s really not fair,” he complained, setting down the controller and leaning into Shiro, “My team sucks! I can’t be caught a single time or else I’ll be stuck in the cage the whole round until we lose.”

“Keep complaining babe,” Shiro laughed again, “Because I’m going to win as the robber too.”

“You’re on!”

“Okay just let me go get another drink real quick,” Shiro said, quickly standing from the couch and heading towards their kitchenette.

“Better hurry or I’ll start without you,” Keith called to him, changing the settings on screen so that their positions were switched.

A few moments later Shiro plopped down on the couch beside him, grabbing his controller and pausing the screen.

“Hey what-” Keith cut off when he saw what was in Shiro’s hand.

It wasn’t a drink.

“My turn,” Shiro said and oddly Keith felt himself tear up, “I think I may already know the answer but…”

Shiro paused, opening a small black velvet box to show Keith the silver ring inside, glinting in the light of the tv.

“Keith, will you marry me?”

_ Dammit, he was not going to cry. _

Keith hid his face in his hands, “Yes.”

“What was that?” Keith could hear the smile in Shiro’s voice, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

Keith looked up, caught off guard by the tender look Shiro was giving him, eyes soft with an even softer smile.

“Yes Takashi, I will marry you.”

Shiro pulled the silver ring out of its box and Keith watched him slide it perfectly onto his ring finger. In the next instant Keith put his hands on either side of Shiro’s face and pulled him down for a kiss.

“So you were planning to propose too?” Keith asked, pulling back a hair.

“I’ve had that ring ever since we left Earth so I understand how hard it is to find the right time.”

Keith laughed, “But still during Mariokart, huh?

“Hey, doesn’t that say something good about us?” Shiro replied, “Even when we’re kicking each other’s butts at video games, we’re still in love.”

“Yeah,” Keith pressed another kiss to Shiro’s lips, “Speaking of which, you’re going down.”

They pulled back and picked their controllers back up, and Keith saw the competitive fire in Shiro’s eyes. And, if Keith let Shiro get away this time in their game of cops and robbers, he would simply blame the ring on his finger, and how it so often pulled his eyes away from the screen as it glinted in the light.

And how it reminded him that he was going to spend the rest of his life by Shiro’s side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick fluffy thing and taking some liberties with the prompt but whatever. Yay fluff!


	13. Adrenaline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THAT THIS IS MILDLY NSFW-ISH. It's really not anything explicit and I just don't want to change the rating for a single 350 word chapter.

**July 13th - Reunion**

There’s always a moment where they break after a big mission or battle and they find themselves pulled to one another. Keith will jump out of his Lion and run through the Atlas towards the control room. And Shiro will always be there to meet him halfway.

By now they know of all the spots they can discreetly go into, and today is no exception as Keith pulls Shiro into an unused conference room. Their bedrooms were just too far away when the adrenaline was still running high. The moment the door slides shut, Keith is on him, arms circling around Shiro’s neck and pushing him back till he hits the edge of the table. Keith coaxes him to sit down and Shiro gasps as Keith pulls his hair back and uses his mouth on him. 

It’s moments like these that make them feel alive again. To forget the terror of the battlefield and just  _ feel.  _ To take the time to comfort one another and convince themselves that everything’s okay. They’re alive. They’re here. They’re together.

Shiro groans as Keith comes back up to instead settle in his lap and they move together. Shiro takes in every detail. The small sighs and moans that fall unbidden from Keith’s lips. The way Keith’s bare skin is soft and slightly damp with sweat from where Shiro’ hand rests on Keith’s waist. And the way Keith kisses like he’s starving for him, tongue slipping between Shiro’s lips and hands gripped tightly in Shiro’s hair.

Shiro watches as Keith’s head is thrown back, Shiro’s name on his lips, as he finds release. And Shiro’s close behind.

As they catch their breaths he feels Keith laugh quietly against him.

“What?” Shiro whispers, pulling Keith closer despite the mess.

“I love you,” Keith whispers back, looking up to meet Shiro’s eyes.

Keith’s expression is tender and beautiful, and Shiro can’t help but kiss him again.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short one today and okay this one is kinda horny. Sue me


	14. I Missed You

July 14th - Pent up / Chastity

Keith’s fist made contact with the punching bag for what felt like the hundredth time and he groaned, sinking to the floor in his misery. Of all the times Shiro had to be away from the Atlas, why did it have to be _now._

For almost six months Keith had been on mission with the Blades, helping take down small factions of Galra that were still trying to continue the universal takeover. It was hard, especially since they didn’t have Voltron for backup anymore. After sacrificing the lions to save the entire multiverse, the ex-paladins had a lot of work to do.

Coran, Romelle, Allura, and Lance were currently based in New Altea, trying to build a home for the surviving Alteans while still offering support and shelter for all refugees. Hunk and Pidge had both returned to Earth for now to reunite with their families, but also to help with the rebuilding of Earth while creating a universal hub for all communications with the Coalition. Shiro still acted as Captain (and Commander) of the Atlas, leading his crew across the universe to try and fix the damage the empire had caused.

Keith had stayed by his side for a while but the Blade needed him more right now. However, that didn’t mean Keith wasn’t in constant contact with his boyfriend. Any chance he’d get Keith would send coded messages or, even better, open a private channel so that he and Shiro could just talk. It was almost as if they weren’t separated. Except when Keith started to think about Shiro’s hand on his shoulder. Or holding _his_ hand. Or pulling his hair.

Or on his dick-

Keith shook his head, trying to physically clear the image from his brain. There was no doubt he was pent up but there was nothing he could do about it right now. Shiro was on another Coalition planet for a _long_ meeting with important diplomats and Keith couldn’t interrupt.

Shiro would probably be there for the rest of the day. And probably even into the night. He’s waited this long to be with Shiro again, what was one more day?

Keith stood, moving on to where the training dummies were waiting.

“Activate training level 5,” he called, drawing his Marmora blade.

Keith barely had time to blink before he was knocked back and onto the ground.

_Okay, it’s gonna be a long day then._

Shiro stood, thanking the diplomats for their time and exiting as quickly (but politely) as possible from the room. As soon as he made it outside the building he sighed, stretching his arms above his head. He was more than happy to do his part to help rebuild the universe but sometimes he’d rather be fighting Galran sentries than partaking in day-long meetings.

“Captain Shirogane, Sir!” Veronica came towards him, offering a salute.

He immediately waved it away, “What is it Veronica?

All formality slipped away and she smirked at him, “Just thought you should know that the Blades have made contact.”

Shiro tried not to react, “Oh?”

“Yes,” she continued, feigning nonchalance, “We’ve had one Keith Kogane board the Atlas, Sir.”

Without hesitation Shiro started towards the transport ships they’d taken to the planet’s surface. He ignored Veronica’s fit of giggles from behind him. With the meeting over, Shiro had no obligation to stay.

He needed to see his boyfriend. Now.

The flight back went by in a blur and after briefly checking the training deck and mess hall, Shiro knew where he’d find him. The door to Shiro’s room slid open and he could already see the lump under the covers of his bed.

It suddenly occurred to him how late it actually was but he didn’t stop. He launched into bed, human arm immediately wrapping around his boyfriend.

“About damn time,” Keith huffed, muffled by the blankets.

Keith didn’t move from where he was curled up under the covers so Shiro just held him tighter, “Well in my defense, _someone_ didn’t warn me they were arriving today.”

Shiro heard some more grumbling that he couldn’t quite make out, and then Keith was moving, throwing back the covers and pouncing on him. The sudden weight on his chest was almost enough to knock the breath out of him but, more importantly, Keith was leaning down to kiss him breathless.

The contact was like electricity running down his spine and his hands immediately went to Keith’s waist, holding him in place. It has been way too long.

“I’ve missed you,” Keith breathed.

“You too,” Shiro replied, trailing kisses down Keith’s jaw and neck.

“Shiro?”

“Hm?” Shiro let go of Keith’s waist to trail his hands up Keith’s muscled chest and then press lightly at his clothed nipples.

Keith groaned and almost didn’t continue his thought.

“What is it baby?”

Keith sighed, grabbing Shiro’s hands to stop their wandering and holding them in his own, “I hate to say it but I’m really fucking tired.”

Shiro took a second to take in Keith’s expression. He hadn’t checked the time but if he had to guess it had to be almost 4 in the morning, and he could see the bags under Keith’s eyes. And, now that he was paying attention, he could also see clear signs of bruises from training.

“Training deck all day?” Shiro guessed.

Keith nodded, dropping his weight and laying on Shiro’s chest, “I want you to fuck me so bad but I feel like I’m gonna pass out.”

Shiro laughed and tried to ignore the thrill that ran through him at Keith’s declaration.

“To be honest, I may not have been training all day but my head is absolutely swimming after that meeting.”

“Fuck, I mean you were in there all day right?” Keith’s nose wrinkled in distaste, “I’d rather be beaten to a pulp by the training dummies than listen to that tedious diplomatic shit for 12 hours straight-”

“More like 16 hours,” Shiro cut in, and Keith snorted.

“Yeah, no thank you.”

Shiro grinned, letting his hands move chastely across Keith’s back and shoulders, massaging the tense muscles.

“I’m gonna fall asleep if you keep doing that,” Keith mumbled against his chest.

“Go ahead,” Shiro replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Keith’s head, “We have plenty of time tomorrow.”

Keith hummed in agreement.

“And then I’ll fuck you,” Shiro declared, and Keith laughed.

“ _Such_ a romantic.”

“Of course, I always aim to please,” Shiro replied without hiding the suggestion in his tone, to which Keith weakly punched his chest.

“Shut up already so I can sleep.”

Shiro wrapped his arms back around Keith’s waist, his exhaustion finally creeping up on him as well, “I love you Keith.”

“I love you too Shiro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh I'm a day behind... oh well. At least I already know what the next two drabbles are going to be so I might be able to catch up. I'm really hoping to actually have the motivation to finish all the prompts this year. So wish me luck I guess?


	15. Won't Give Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of the sequel or companion to ch 8 of this drabble collection. But this one is in Shiro's pov.

**July 15th - Escape**

Shiro lay staring at the ceiling of his cell. He was given his own cell the moment he was named champion, but he didn’t view it as a prize. No, it was too quiet. He never thought he’d miss the voices of his fellow captives, but here he was. Left alone with his thoughts. His memories. And his regrets.

He tried to imagine Earth. If he squinted hard enough he could almost make himself believe he was back in his freshman dorm room at the Garrison. But when he thinks about the Garrison he also thinks about  _ who  _ he left there. Did they miss him?

_ Takashi. _

Shiro flinched at the sound of Adam’s voice in his head. Almost  _ too  _ real.

_ I told you not to go on the mission. _

“Yeah like you knew  _ this  _ was going to happen,” he replied bitterly, motioning with his robotic arm around the cell.

He glanced over to the guard but either he hadn’t heard Shiro speak or was dutifully ignoring him. Good.

Shiro wondered if Adam had truly moved on. Had he started dating again? When he’d heard Shiro’s ship had been lost did he grieve at all? Was it selfish of him to hope that Adam regretted it? Regretted how they’d ended things?

Shiro sighed, slinging his arm over his eyes as he tried to think about anything else. There was no use torturing himself further over his ex. He was in enough Hell as it was.

_ Shiro. _

Shiro inhaled sharply. Now that was someone he missed. More than anyone else he missed his best friend.

“Keith,” he whispered, trying to picture him in his mind.

He always saw those eyes first, an odd shade of almost purple. Dark hair, a couple heads shorter than him, and wearing the orange cadet uniform from his class. What must he be up to? Shiro had lost all sense of time but if it was during the day Keith would be in the middle of class or maybe if it was the weekend he’d be sneaking outside the Garrison to ride on his hoverbike. Or maybe it was nighttime and he was asleep or staying up late to watch the stars.

It hurt, but he tried to imagine how Keith must have grieved over him. Had he cried? Or had he silently taken the news and transferred his grief over to a punching bag. What news had he been given anyways? That the ship had disappeared? Crashed?

Had Keith moved on too?

That thought made Shiro’s chest ache. There was no way for Keith to know he was still alive out here. But when Shiro thought of home he didn’t have anyone else. No family, no relationship, no close friends… except Keith. 

Shiro’s motivations are simple: survive, get home, warn Earth, and return to Keith’s side.

And Shiro had realized long ago that that was enough. He won’t give up.

Shiro coughed and opened his eyes, panic setting in as he didn’t immediately recognize his surroundings. He may have escaped the Galran ship but he wasn’t safe yet. The last thing he could remember were multiple people from the Garrison in hazmat suits surrounding him as he was strapped down to a table. 

He tried to sit up but still felt the effects of the drugs that had kept him sedated. He groaned, trying to force himself to move, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Shiro’s head snapped up and he locked eyes with the figure kneeling beside him on the couch. Shiro would recognize that purple hue anywhere.

Keith.

Shiro immediately relaxed, sinking back down onto the couch.

“Shiro are you alright?”

Shiro tried to speak but his throat was too dry, so instead he nodded. Keith must have realized his problem immediately because he pushed a water bottle into his hands. Shiro took it gratefully, downing as much as he could as he observed the man in front of him.

Keith had grown while Shiro was away. He was taller but still fairly slim. His hair had grown too and instead of his cadet uniform he was wearing a red jacket that suited him well. 

Keith was speaking again and Shiro could hardly focus on the words, too distracted by the fact that Keith’s voice had changed too. Deeper but still undeniably Keith. Hearing Keith’s voice in person was so much better than what he’d imagined.

“You should get some more rest,” Keith finally said, eyes softening and briefly pressing his hand to the side of Shiro’s face.

Shiro leaned into the touch, the tenderness of it something that he hadn’t even realized he’d craved. Keith’s eyes widened but he didn’t pull his hand away.

“Thank you Keith,” Shiro managed to croak out.

“Of course,” Keith replied, “I never gave up on you.”

Shiro glanced behind him, taking note of all the pictures and string pinned to the wall. It made warmth bubble in his chest, even as he realized the implications of it. Keith had left the Garrison. Keith had searched for him. 

Keith hadn’t moved on.

Exhaustion started to take over once again and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was a sticky note tacked to the wall.

_ It’s killing me when you’re away. _

Later Shiro would look back on this moment as the first time he realized Keith was in love with him.

It would only take a little longer after that for him to realize he loved Keith back.


	16. Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adam lives au because that's what we deserved. This is (sort of) the reconciliation I wanted, but through Keith's eyes. Set during the paladins' return to Earth.

**July 16th - Unrequited**

The paladins exited their lions and into the throngs of people waiting where they’d landed in front of the Garrison.

“Takashi!” a voice called from the crowd.

And Keith walked away.

He couldn’t stand there and watch it happen again. He couldn’t watch Shiro reunite with his ex and rekindle their old flame. And yet he ends up standing about thirty feet away watching them anyways.

Keith remembered Adam well. He looked a bit older now but for the most part he’s almost completely unchanged. Keith tried to push back the jealousy clawing at his heart, but it’s hard when he sees Adam’s hand rest on Shiro’s shoulder, and when Adam says something and Shiro breaks out into a big grin.

Oh great, now Shiro’s laughing.

Oh, even better, now their hugging.

“So,” came a voice from beside him, “What are you doing?”

Keith didn’t look away from Shiro, “Shouldn’t you be with your family Pidge?”

“I’ve already had my reunion. I’m escaping now before my mom grounds me for life,” Pidge paused, “So who’s that with Shiro?”

Keith sighed, “His boyfriend.”

“Shiro’s never mentioned a boyfriend.”

“Well they broke up before the Kerberos mission but-”

“So an ex then,” Pidge cut him off, “So why do you look so upset?”

“I’m not-” Keith cut himself off this time.

He knew how he looked.

They stood in silence for awhile, Pidge joining in solidarity to watch the scene unfold. Shiro hadn’t noticed them watching yet and Adam was too focused on Shiro to notice either. There was activity all around them, but they appeared to be completely ignoring the commotion, with eyes only for each other.

“Why don’t you just tell Shiro you’re in love with him?” Pidge finally asked.

“I already did.”

“What?!” Pidge cried, drawing the attention of some people around them.

“Be quiet,” Keith hissed, thankful that Shiro somehow didn’t hear them, “I told him at the cloning facility. He hasn’t mentioned it so obviously he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Pidge said, putting her hands up, “Wouldn’t that have been Shiro’s  _ clone  _ you confessed too? And when the hell did you have time to tell him? When he was trying to kill you?”

“Yeah...”

Pidge gave him an unimpressed look and Keith sighed again, “He has the clone’s memories, right? He must have remembered what I said too.”

“Are you  _ sure?” _

Keith didn’t want to tell Pidge that he was too much of a coward to confess again. Especially now that Shiro had Adam back. He wasn’t going to get in the way of Shiro’s happiness. Even if Adam had broken Shiro’s heart the first time.

“Hey Keith!”

Keith flinched at the sudden call of his name. Shiro had finally noticed him.

“Come here! You remember Adam, right?”

Keith and Pidge shared a look and Pidge motioned for him to go. Keith felt the betrayal as Pidge stayed behind to watch. As Keith came to stand by Shiro’s side Adam seemed to take a moment to look him over. It made Keith feel like he was being assessed for something, but whatever Adam was looking for he must have found because he chuckled.

“Nice to see you again Keith,” he said, “I’m sure you’re the one who’s kept this idiot out of trouble.”

Shiro huffed, pretending to be offended, “Keith’s saved me multiple times yes, but that’s no reason to be a jerk about it.”

“I’m sure you’ve been a great asset to the Garrison during the war,” Keith directed at Adam, “I remember that you’re one of the best pilots in the Garrison.”

“Well not as good as Shiro, I’m afraid,” Adam laughed, “But thank you.”

There was a beat of silence and for the first time in a while Keith felt awkward standing next to his best friend. It came with the realization that he was definitely the third wheel here. Shit.

“So you two are dating I presume?”

Keith paused, unsure if he’d heard correctly. The question, as soon as he processed it, just about suckerpunched Keith in the stomach and he stood staring at Adam with his mouth dropped open. He felt his face flush and he glanced at Shiro to find a similar reaction.

“Wha-” “No we’re-”

They both cut off, startled as they talked over each other.

Adam laughed, “Sorry, was I mistaken?”

Silence fell on the group again, but this time Adam was looking at them expectantly and Keith wasn’t sure why. They  _ weren’t  _ dating _ ,  _ so why did it seem like Adam was in on a secret they didn’t know?

“Adam!” a voice called from behind them.

A man Keith had never seen before came running up to them, wearing the standard Garrison uniform for pilots. He was a tall, thin man with red hair and freckles, and he was grinning at Adam widely.

“Shiro I’d like you to meet Jacob,” Adam stepped forward to stand next to the newcomer and wrap an arm around his shoulders, “My fiance.”

Keith and Shiro’s eyes both snapped to the hand currently resting on Jacob’s shoulder, and sure enough there was a thin silver engagement ring on Adam’s ring finger.

Huh… Keith wished he’d noticed that sooner.

Adam quickly introduced them all and after exchanged pleasantries and brief catching up, Jacob was pulling Adam away for their scheduled flight practice with the other pilots.

Keith and Shiro stared after them, both at a loss for words.

Eventually Pidge walked over to join them, “Wow, I don’t know what you guys were talking about but the  _ looks  _ on your  _ faces. _ ”

Keith glared at Pidge but was too on edge to argue. He was hyper aware of Shiro by his side. They hadn’t said a word to one another since Adam’s question.

“Pidge? Would you say that Keith and I act like we’re dating?” Shiro suddenly asked.

“Yep,” Pidge immediately replied.

“Oh,” Shiro paused, and tried to meet Keith’s eyes.

Keith found that he couldn’t find the courage to look at him. Because then it would really set in. Shiro didn’t want him like that. And if everyone thinks their  _ together,  _ Shiro would want to change how they acted around each other. Right?

“Pidge can you give us a moment?” Shiro asked.

Pidge nodded and then they were alone, still standing in front of the lions where they had landed only a short while ago. And yet things were suddenly so much more complicated.

“Keith?” Shiro tried again and Keith finally looked up, “I’m sorry if any of that made you uncomfortable. I didn’t realize that Adam thought-”

Shiro trailed off, looking flustered as his eyes shifted and his face flushed slightly. Why did Shiro look so cute?

_ Fuck it. _

“I love you Shiro,” Keith admitted once again, and then gestured to the activity around them, “Do you want to grab dinner at Sal’s after all this? If it’s still standing that is?”

Keith felt his stomach lurch at his sudden burst of confidence but it was worth it just to see Shiro’s mouth drop open once again. And his cheeks turned even redder, which Keith was surprised was even possible.

“Wait, are you asking me out on a  _ date _ ?”

“That was the idea,” Keith replied, starting to regret saying anything.

Maybe the Galra would attack again and he could get out of this conversation and pretend it never happened?

“Y-yes! I-yes, let’s do a date. I mean go to dinner. I would love to go to dinner,” Shiro stopped for a second, reaching out with his hand to take Keith’s, “I love you too Keith.”

They stopped and stared at each other for a moment, and when Keith laughed so did Shiro. Keith let his forehead rest against Shiro’s chest and wrapped his arms around his back. Shiro automatically moved to hug him back

The awkwardness was finally lifting, and as they stood there in each other’s arms, it finally sunk in that the feelings were mutual after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be completely honest with ya'll... I didn't have a lot of time to spend on this one so it didn't quite end up how I wanted, but I hope it was enjoyable anyways. Thanks as always for reading!


	17. Hypothetical

**July 17th - Eighteen**

Keith stood back, admiring his handiwork, chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all. The fact that he had taken a fighter jet all the way back to Earth to get real roses had been a bit overkill, but it was worth it for the aesthetic. Candles, rose petals, new silky sheets, and even some peaceful music playing from a tablet in the background. It was practically the stereotypical romantic honeymoon suite he’d seen in movies. 

But, he supposes for their eighteenth wedding anniversary, his husband deserved all the sappy romantic treatment he could get for the night. Keith sighed, stretching his arms above his head and smiling. Their anniversary was technically tomorrow, but Keith supposed starting a little early and staying up till midnight would be a great way to start it.

Shiro should be getting back soon enough. Keith had asked him to grab some supplies from a nearby planet to bring back to their main ship. 

Keith put a hand on the wall, reminiscing a bit. The ship they had bought from a junker eight years ago had needed a lot of work. But with some time, salvaged parts, and elbow grease, they had turned the ship into a real home. And they’d been traveling the universe together ever since.

Keith walked out of the room and moved to wait in their kitchen. He paused as he passed by the empty guest room. They had a few different ones on the ship but this one was closest to their room.

They had often talked about how they would turn it into a nursery, if or when kids came into the picture. Keith’s heart twisted a bit in his chest. As time had gone by he’d slowly warmed up to the idea of having kids, because he _knew_ Shiro would be a great father. And Keith was starting to think he could be a good father too. But as more and more time went by, the idea of setting down roots somewhere to raise a kid wasn’t that appealing to them. 

Not to mention, they weren’t getting any younger. Although… they weren’t getting that much older either. Keith had learned early on from Krolia that his Galran heritage would increase his lifespan by a fair amount. That had scared Keith at first. Of Shiro getting older faster than him. That is until they realized Haggar had inadvertently done two surprisingly good things for Shiro: cured him of his illness and increased his lifespan as well. Shiro and Keith were both well into their 40s but they both looked no older than 30.

So, in all honesty, kids still weren’t out of the question but…

Keith shook his head. Now was certainly not the time. This was about his and Shiro’s marriage. Kid talk could come later.

Keith continued on his way to the kitchen, opening their fridge and pulling out the champagne bottle he’d been chilling. He also pulled open the cupboard and grabbed two wine glasses and set them out on the counter.

As if on cue, he heard Shiro’s ship dock in the hanger and Keith sat down on one of the kitchen stools to wait.

The door slid open and Keith smiled as Shiro tried to bring in all the supplies he’d bought in one trip. He had one large bag in his human hand and another five hung precariously on his Altean arm.

“Need some help?” Keith asked, watching Shiro try to close the door behind him.

“No no, I got it,” Shiro replied, obviously struggling.

Keith rolled his eyes, standing from the stool and crossing over to grab a few bags off of his Altean arm, “Stubborn.”

“Yeah,” Shiro smiled, stooping down a little to press a quick kiss to Keith’s lips, “Hey babe.”

“Hey yourself.”

A burst of light and a single bark was all the warning they got before Cosmo appeared beside Keith. Luckily, Cosmo knew better than to jump when they were holding supplies, but it didn’t stop all 200 pounds of him from trying to nuzzle up to Shiro anyways.

“Hi buddy,” Shiro laughed, finally placing the supplies down on the floor next to the counter, and answering the space wolf’s demands.

Keith watched his husband get down on his knees as Cosmo rolled over onto his back, so that Shiro could pet his soft stomach. He really was hard to deny when he used his puppy eyes.

Eventually, Cosmo was done hogging all of the attention and went to lie down in the living room and Shiro and Keith set about putting away everything Shiro had bought. Once that was done Keith stood next to the counter and Shiro came up from behind him to wrap his arms around his waist.

“And what’s this?” Shiro asked, and Keith could hear the smile in his voice.

Keith picked up the champagne bottle and the opener, “I just thought we could start the celebration a little early.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shiro replied, moving Keith’s braid so that he could press a kiss to the back of his neck.

Keith turned to look back at him, “Good, then help me carry this back to our room?”

“Of course.”

Shiro grabbed the two empty glasses and together they walked down the hall and back toward the bedroom. Keith made sure to let Shiro walk just a little bit ahead of him so that he could see Shiro’s reaction. Shiro pressed the button for the door and as it slid open he watched his husband’s face light up in delight.

“ _Keith_ ,” He turned to him with a goofy smile, and Keith couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Like it?”

“I _love_ it,” Shiro stressed, entering the room, setting the glasses down on their nightstand, and immediately jumping into bed.

“Ohh, are these new sheets? They’re so soft!”

Keith couldn’t stop smiling as he set the champagne and bottle opener down on the table as well and plopped down on the bed beside him.

“Are these rose petals _real?_ ”

Keith nodded and the next thing he knew Shiro was pulling him into his arms. Keith went easily and settled against him.

“I love you,” Shiro said, hugging him tightly.

“I love you too,” Keith immediately replied, leaning forward to kiss Shiro properly.

They took a few moments simply to enjoy the closeness, but eventually Keith pulled back and sat up so that they could have their drinks. Keith popped it open and poured out the glasses, leaning over to pass Shiro his. They settled back against the headboard, sitting close.

“To eighteen years,” Shiro said, offering his glass.

Keith clinked his glass to Shiro’s, “To eighteen years.”

For a while they sat enjoying their drinks and just talked. At one point Shiro collected some of the rose petals on the bed only to then let them go over Keith’s head. Keith shook his head as petals rained down, and he shot Shiro a glare but with no real malice. Shiro only laughed, setting aside his glass so that he could kiss Keith again.

“Oh yeah I almost forgot,” Shiro said, “While I was getting supplies on that planet, a couple of kids recognized me. One of them even had a figurine of me that he had me sign. It must have been pretty old because it was designed with my Galran prosthetic.”

“Yeah? Are you getting nostalgic old-timer?” Keith teased.

Shiro hummed, “Yeah, a little. I don’t miss the fighting or the hours long meetings or almost dying. But I do sometimes miss all of the paladins together. I even miss the crew on the Atlas.”

“Do you want to go back?” Keith asked, “To Earth I mean? We could take a break from traveling for a while?”

“No, no,” Shiro immediately replied, “I want to stay out here. I love exploring the universe with you Keith. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. But I guess I miss all that activity? I don’t know, it’s a bit hard to put into words. Maybe short visits to Earth and New Altea would be nice, but I certainly wouldn’t want to stay too long.”

“What, you don’t want to listen to Lance talk about the Lancey Lance Jr.(s) all the time?” Keith asked, only half joking.

Allura and Lance had welcomed their fourth child two years ago, and little Lily and her older siblings were all Lance ever talked about. He was a doting and very proud father which, while Shiro and Keith could appreciate, still got old after a while.

“Ugh,” Shiro groaned in mock annoyance, “He just never shuts up about them. Maybe we’d understand better if we had children of our own.”

The moment the words left his mouth Keith could see he regretted it, glancing over guiltily to see Keith’s reaction. However, Keith made sure to keep his face completely neutral. 

They had never actually _fought_ over kids. Shiro had told him again and again that kids were not a deal breaker. That he loved Keith much more than a hypothetical. 

But it didn’t change the fact that Shiro would like to have a kid. Ever since he was cured and guaranteed a future, he was suddenly given the chance to _consider_ his future. And Shiro had surprised even himself with the desire for having kids. But Shiro also knew that the topic was difficult for Keith. Growing up thinking his Mom had left because of him and losing his father early on, Keith had had a hard time working through all that. However, his relationship with Krolia had so greatly improved over time and slowly Keith had come to realize he liked and even _wanted_ kids. 

Because he knew he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

“Yeah, I suppose we would understand better if we had a kid,” Keith slowly replied, taking a deep breath, “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to start looking into it?”

Shiro’s eyes widened and Keith could see his brain processing this new information. Keith felt his heart squeeze as he saw Shiro’s lips twinge into a tentative smile and something like hope in his eyes.

“Keith, are you sure? Because I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this for my sake. I love _you,_ and I am more than happy to spend the rest of my life like this, no children required-”

“Shiro,” Keith cut him off, and Shiro immediately shut up, “I’m sure. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I think I can finally be ready. I really do like kids. And, I _want_ to have a kid. With _you._ I want to give a home to a kid who needs one and I want that home to be with us.”

Keith smiled as he saw Shiro get a bit misty eyed before pulling Keith into another tight hug.

“As long as you’re sure,” Shiro murmured against his neck, “This isn’t set in stone, and we can back out at any point.”

“I know babe,” Keith replied, rubbing his hands soothingly up and down Shiro’s back, “But I _do_ want this. Because I know you’ll be a fantastic father and I want to be one too.”

“You will be,” Shiro pulled back to kiss him quick, “I know it.”

Keith smiled and dragged Shiro back down onto the sheets. He glanced at the clock, realizing it was shortly after midnight.

“Happy anniversary Shiro.”

“Happy anniversary Keith,” Shiro replied, moving over top of Keith to kiss him senseless.

By their twentieth anniversary, Keith and Shiro were already happily enjoying life with their adopted daughter Mila. At four years old and already a bundle of energy, they had their work cut out for them. Krolia, in her new role as grandmother, was already absolutely doting on the half-Galran girl. And Cosmo absolutely refused to leave Mila’s side. 

There were, of course, challenges and changes to be dealt with. But as they lay curled up in bed with Mila between them, her arms wrapped around Keith and her tail wrapped around Shiro, they knew they’d made the right decision.

“I love you daddy,” she whispered.

“I love you too Mila,” Shiro replied.

Mila paused and tightened her arms around Keith.

“I love you papa.”

“Love you too baby,” Keith replied, kissing the top of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing about kids is hard because I'm often of the opinion that I won't have kids. Yet, Keith's struggles with wanting kids in this drabble actually mirror my own a lot, but with him ultimately deciding to take the plunge with Shiro. I really do think they would make great dads. Thanks again for all your support and I hope you enjoyed!


	18. Wedding

**July 18th - Free Day**

There was no way to describe how it felt as Keith walked down the aisle with Shiro by his side and stand beside him in front of the crowd. Their marriage announcement had garnered a lot of attention across the universe, rivaling even the crowd that had attended Lance and Allura’s wedding a few years previously. This time the Black Paladins were getting married. And everyone appeared to be excited.

But even with the crowd Keith couldn’t take his eyes off his soon to be husband. Shiro was dressed in a black suit and bow tie, and the engagement ring on his finger glinted in the light. His white hair was slicked back and he’d recently gotten his hair cut, bringing back his usual undercut. Keith loved to feel the short, soft hair there with his fingertips. Keith himself was wearing a white tux and their friends had all joked that with their hair, they looked like yin and yang.

Shiro met his eyes and immediately broke out into a wide smile that stole Keith’s breath away. It kept hitting him over and over again, that this was the man he would spend the rest of his life with. This wonderful, smart, funny, gorgeous man, who has been Keith’s best friend for so many years now.

Keith tried to take it all in, but in reality the ceremony went by in a blur. He was nervous but excited. His adrenaline almost had him bouncing on his feet if Shiro hadn’t been holding his hands and grounding him. Coran stood reading as the officiant of their marriage and Keith tried his best to pay attention.

It was hard though because Shiro kept squeezing his hands and smiling. And Keith had a feeling that Shiro was paying about as much attention to the words as he was. But they both perked up when they heard the cues for rings.

“Keith,” Shiro said, picking up a ring, “You have been my best friend and beloved for so long now. You are so strong and brave and I would never have made it this far without you. You once made a promise to me that you would save me as many times as it takes, and you have always kept that promise. I love you Keith.”

Keith watched as Shiro slid the ring onto his finger and he quickly picked up the other ring.

“Shiro I-” Keith cut off, taking a deep breath to calm himself, “I love you too. So much. Without you my life would have been a lot different. And it’s all because you made an important promise to me too. You told me, back when I had no one else in the world, that you would never give up on me. That meant  _ everything _ to me, and I owe you so much. I love you Takashi.”

Keith took Shiro’s hand and gently slid the ring onto his finger.

Coran cleared his throat, “Shiro, do you take Keith to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

Shiro pulled Keith’s hand up to press a kiss to Keith’s ring finger, “I do.”

“Although to be fair,” Shiro suddenly laughed, “Keith has proven before that he won’t even let death part us.”

“Of course,” Keith also laughed, “You’re not allowed to die again Shirogane.”

The crowd around them rippled with confused laughter, though Keith couldn’t blame them. Not many people knew about the whole cloning incident and dealings with transferring essences. Thinking back to that time Keith still can’t believe Shiro had made it back. It made him realize that he could never lose Shiro again. And had also given Keith the confidence to finally ask Shiro out.

“And Keith, do you take Shiro to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

“I do,” Keith replied.

“You may now kiss the groom,” Coran directed to them both.

They moved at the same time, Keith wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shoulders as Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. The crowd around them cheered and Keith suddenly felt breathless.

It was official.

They were married.

Keith could care less about the crowd as he continued to kiss his husband.


	19. One Night

**July 19th - Teacher**

Shiro took another sip of his drink, smiling as he watched the bartender Lance try flirting with one of the patrons. Lance had actually been one of his students a couple years back, and now he was bartending at night while finishing his Master's program. He was an eccentric guy but Shiro admired his hard work and in recent times they’d even become friends as Shiro happened to frequent the bar.

“So, how was your sabbatical?” Lance asked when he was done flirting, “It’s been way too long Dr. Shirogane.”

“Lance please, no formalities here,” he replied smiling, “Sabbatical went well. Spent the time abroad researching at various astrophysics institutes, working on a project regarding galaxy formation and evolution. But don’t worry I’ll spare you the lecture.”

“Thank you,” Lance laughed, “Are you glad to be back?”

“Of course, I missed the area and surprisingly enough I missed teaching too.”

Lance snorted, “Let me know how long  _ that _ lasts.”

Shiro laughed too and Lance eventually let him get back to his drink. Shiro didn’t often go drinking by himself but tonight he just wanted to get out of his apartment to try and reacclimate after a six month trip. He had a lot of work to do before the semester started in a month. Returning to his position as Assistant Head of the Department and dealing with the newly hired professors while planning his course schedules for the year. It was a lot to get thrown back into and it was starting to make his head spin.

The drink helped.

Just as he was about to grab his phone and check his email once again, he was distracted by the entrance of a new customer to the bar. As the door fell closed Shiro couldn’t help but stare at the man who walked in. The first thing Shiro saw was dark eyes that almost looked purple in the light, and long black hair pulled into a braid down his back. He was wearing a leather jacket, white tank top and dark jeans. He was tall and slender and  _ beautiful _ , but he still looked like the kind of guy that could kick Shiro’s ass.

The man happened to glance up at him and Shiro turned away, embarrassed that he’d been caught staring. However, it was only a couple seconds later that the man came up to the bar and grabbed the seat beside him.

“Mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all,” Shiro immediately replied.

Lance came around, raising an eyebrow at Shiro but otherwise asking no questions as he took the guy’s order.

As Lance moved away Shiro asked, “New around here?”

“Yeah actually, just moved here for work. I’m Keith.”

“Shiro,” He smiled, “I recently got back into town myself.”

“Is that so?” Keith trailed off and he took a second to look Shiro up and down, “Listen, I’m not- I don’t usually do this but you’re like absolutely fucking gorgeous. My job starts tomorrow, I’m stressed as fuck, and I kind of want to suck your dick. Interested?”

Shiro felt his face flush at the forwardness, but he wasn’t going to pretend that he hadn’t been interested the moment Keith walked into the bar.

“Uh…” Shiro started, eloquent as always, “Fuck yeah.”

Keith laughed, hiding his smile in his hand, and Shiro had the urge to pull the hand away. At just that moment Lance returned with Keith’s cocktail and Shiro watched Keith pick it up and down it one go.

Lance was definitely staring at them now.

“Here,” Keith slid a $50 bill across to Lance, and pulling Shiro away from the bar, “That should cover us fine, and keep the change.”

Shiro let himself be pulled out of the bar, totally enthralled by the man leading him away. Shiro was just about to suggest they call a taxi when Keith stopped to turn towards him. Arms looped around Shiro’s neck and the next thing he knew Keith’s lithe body was pressed to his own and his lips were centimeters away from his.

“Okay?” Keith asked.

“Yeah,” Shiro whispered, almost breathless.

And then Keith leaned up and it was like electricity at the contact. Shiro’s hands went to Keith’s waist and when Keith bit at his lip he could barely hold back his groan.

“My apartment is across the street,” Keith pulled back to say, and soon enough Shiro found himself at Keith’s doorstep, crossing the threshold into a sparsely furnished apartment and kicking off their shoes.

However, Shiro wasn’t given much time to take in the decor-or lack thereof- before Keith was pulling him down the hallway and into his bedroom.

The moment they were through the door Keith pulled off his jacket, so that he was just in his thin white tank top and jeans. Shiro found his eyes drawn to Keith’s arms and let himself appreciate the muscles there.

Keith began to pull at the hem of his top as well but stopped short to shoot Shiro a heated look, “Are you just gonna stand there? Or am I gonna get to see you naked anytime soon?”

Shiro snorted, pulling off his shirt in one fluid motion, and he didn’t miss the way Keith’s eyes darkened at the sight. Keith took a step into his space, hands immediately coming up to Shiro’s chest. Shiro let him palm at his muscled pecs and he hissed as Keith dragged his hands across his nipples and down his chest.

“Are you going to take me to bed Keith?”

Keith smirked, “Absolutely.”

Shiro woke up in mild confusion. Not panic, but he certainly couldn’t remember at the moment why he was in a room that wasn’t his own or why he couldn’t move. He looked down to see dark hair splayed across his chest and everything came back to him in a rush.

Keith.

Fuck was he gorgeous. And last night had been…  _ wow _ .

And then the panic set in when Shiro realized he had no idea what time it was.

He swore, shooting up and startling Keith awake. Shiro blindly reached over Keith for his phone that he’d thrown on the bedside table and checked the time. Six in the morning. Okay, not as late as he’d first thought. He relaxed and Keith, who had been rudely awakened beside him, shot him a glare.

“Jeez,” he grumbled, “So what time is it?”

“Sorry, it’s only six,” Shiro winced, “I thought I was late for school.”

Keith yawned, snuggling a little closer which made Shiro’s heart warm, “What? You a grad student or something?”

Shiro laughed, “No no, I’m a professor at Altea University.”

There was a beat of silence and then Keith suddenly jerked up and out of Shiro’s arms, and Shiro was caught off guard by the somewhat panicked look on his face.

“Wait Shiro- You’re not Dr.  _ Takashi  _ Shirogane, are you?”

Shiro’s eyes widened, suddenly feeling a bit nervous to give his answer, “Yes?”

“Oh fuck,” Keith mumbled, pulling away to sit up in the bed, “Um… I’m uh- Keith Kogane… New professor of Astronomy?”

_ Oh. _

A new awkwardness fell between them as Shiro realized the implications. The new professor Dr. Allura had hired in his absence was one Dr. Kogane, a recent PhD graduate to replace their retired astronomy professor. However, Shiro had not had the chance to meet nor see the new hire since he’d only just returned from sabbatical.

Allura had planned to introduce them today.

“I guess,” Shiro started, sliding a hand into his hair nervously, “I should get going.”

Keith nodded, not quite meeting his eyes.

Shiro got himself together and left in record time. He had fucked up. He had slept with a fellow professor in his department and the guy hadn’t even started  _ working _ yet. He opened the door to his car and slipped inside, taking a second to just sit behind the wheel and think. 

And the worst part? He felt as though he’d fucked up worse by leaving.

“Shit.”

Four hours later Shiro sat in his office, trying to focus on his schedule planning for the upcoming semester. He had avoided meeting any other professors on his way in and he tried every possible way to distract himself from his disaster of a morning.

After he’d gotten home and taken a shower he’d been exclusively spacing out. Almost immediately upon reaching his office he had accidentally run into the side of his desk, bruising his leg and effectively spilling his coffee all over his desk. The ensuing mess had left him absolutely irritated at himself for ruining papers and wasting his own time. He was at least thankful that no books or one of a kind documents had been in the crossfire.

The sound of Allura’s voice and a knock at his door pulled his attention away. He sighed, perhaps if he let Allura know of his predicament now, he could figure out what to do.

“Come in,” he called.

When the door opened, what Shiro didn’t expect was Allura to lead Keith in with her, “Dr. Shirogane, I’d like you to meet our new professor of Astronomy, Dr. Keith Kogane.”

Shiro stood and got out from behind his desk. Keith wouldn’t quite meet his eye.

“It’s an honor to meet you Dr. Kogane, Allura has told me a lot about you and your qualifications. I’m sure you will be an incredible asset to this department,” Shiro held out his hand, “And please, no need for formalities, you can call me Shiro if you’d like.”

Keith took his hand, “Keith is fine.”

“Keith, Shiro is Assistant Head of the Department,” Allura continued, “If you ever have any issues and I’m not available, Shiro’s your guy. He’s probably the smartest and sweetest guy we have in the department.”

“But not as smart and sweet as you princess,” Shiro replied to which Allura elbowed him in the side.

“Don’t princess me, Shirogane,” Allura rolled her eyes and giving a laboring sigh, “I dress up as a princess for our Halloween party  _ one  _ time… Anyways, Shiro I’m going to go grab Coran from his lab so that he can properly meet Keith as well. I’ll be right back.”

And then suddenly they were alone once again.

“I’ll uh- wait in the hall,” Keith said and turned to leave.

Shiro said nothing, heart sinking as he watched him go. That is until he saw an unmistakable bruise on Keith’s neck.

“Keith uh-”

“Yeah?” Keith asked, turning towards him.

Shiro blushed, stammering, “Um- I am  _ so _ sorry but I um… I kind of left a mark on your neck.”

“What?” Keith hissed, his hand quickly coming up to cover the back of his neck, “ _ Shit _ .”

“Here I have some…” Shiro trailed off, walking around to open his desk and rifle through for the concealer he had on hand, “It won’t cover it completely but... between this and if you pull your braid down it shouldn’t be noticeable.”

“Can you help?” Keith asked and Shiro nodded.

Keith turned once again and Shiro walked up behind him and moving his hair out of the way. Keith’s hair was soft even in the braid.

“What are you 16?” Keith grumbled, as Shiro applied the makeup, “Leaving hickeys like that. I even told you I had work today.”

“Sorry,” Shiro paused, “And no not 16, I’m actually seven.”

“ _ Excuse me _ ?”

“Leap year,” Shiro laughed.

Keith snorted, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“There,” Shiro said, moving Keith’s braid to cover the affected area, so that it now lay down Keith’s right shoulder, “Completely hidden.”

“Thanks,” Keith shot him a smile.

“Don’t mention it, especially since it was kind of my fault in the first place.”

“True,” Keith stopped, seeming to take a moment to consider something, “Last night… I actually really enjoyed myself.”

“I did too.”

Keith met his eyes again, “So what’s the policy on workplace dating, huh?”

“Not too harsh I’m sure,” Shiro replied easily.

Keith smiled and took a step into Shiro’s space, making his stomach flutter.

“Good,” Keith said, leaning up to press a quick kiss to Shiro’s lips.

“Text me later,” Keith said, walking towards the door.

“But I don’t have your-”

“Yes you do!” Keith laughed as he left the room.

Shiro took his phone out of his pocket and sure enough, as he scrolled down his contact list, Keith Kogane’s number had been added. There was also a picture uploaded for it, a selfie Keith had taken with his phone while Shiro had been asleep.

Shiro laughed and sent a text.

_ You free this evening? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ended up a little longer than expected so I'm a couple days behind now. Oh well, I'll finish eventually. And I am determined to finish this time! Thanks again for all the support!


	20. Numb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A study of Keith and his thoughts when Shiro was missing between s2-s6.

**July 20th - Whispers**

Keith felt numb as he walked into his room on the castleship. He had been searching endlessly for who knows how long, but there was still no sign of Shiro among the wreckage. He had completely disappeared. 

Again.

The others knew better than to try talking to him right now. They had simply told him to go to bed and that Lance and Hunk would continue the search for Shiro while he slept. Keith doubted he’d get any sleep at all but, he supposes, at the very least he can rest his eyes and try to think about anywhere else he could search.

His heart dropped as he recognized one of Shiro’s jackets resting on his desk chair. They had been hanging out in Keith’s room only last night, just talking and hanging out like usual. Mentally preparing themselves for the battle at hand. Shiro must have forgotten the jacket here before going back to his room. Keith resisted the urge to pick it up and hold it to his chest.

He can’t lose him again. He _can’t_.

He flopped down onto his bed, feeling his eyes burn as he forced the tears back. He can’t cry, because Shiro’s not gone. He’ll find him. He has to.

_Keith. If I don’t make it out of here-_

“Shiro don’t...” Keith whispered.

_I want you to lead Voltron._

“Not without you.”

When Shiro returned Keith still felt numb and he couldn’t understand why. Shiro felt… different. _Wrong._ But maybe Keith was just being selfish. Keith had finally accepted his role as Black Paladin and now he and Shiro were disagreeing on what to do. He just- He thought Shiro would support his decisions more. He was unused to Shiro snapping at him and ignoring him. But that didn’t mean Shiro was wrong.

Keith pulled back. Voltron didn’t need six paladins and they didn’t need him to be leader. They needed _Shiro._ Even if Black wouldn’t accept him at first. Even if Shiro was acting differently around him. Even if there were times he looked into Shiro’s eyes and he couldn’t find his best friend. If Voltron-and Shiro- didn’t need him, then he would go where he _is_ needed. With the Blades.

Yet Keith still felt the whispers of something wrong on Naxzela. His comms had been on and he’d heard the paladins argue. He’d heard Shiro make the wrong call and doubt started worming its way into Keith’s heart again.

And as he faced down Haggar’s ship with only his own ship as a weapon, he was sickened by the sudden thought in his head. As he closed his eyes and braced for an impact that luckily never came, he had wished he could have been with _his_ Shiro again. The Shiro who had gone hoverbike riding with him in the desert. The Shiro who had always been by his side, never giving up on him. The Shiro who would come to his room in the middle of the night on the castleship and just _talk_ to him.

When Lotor ultimately saved him, Keith didn’t bring up his near death experience to Shiro. And he made Matt promise not to tell Shiro as well. He’ll tell Shiro when he’s ready. He’ll tell Shiro when he feels like his best friend again.

As Keith sat beside Shiro’s clone’s body, hindsight really was a bitch. Keith had _known_ . He had _known_ that Shiro was different and wrong. But he had been so relieved to have Shiro back that he had ignored the obvious. That it wasn’t actually Shiro.

_I died Keith._

Keith shook his head, once again willing himself not to cry. Shiro’s soul had been saved by the Black Lion, he was still in there! He could still be saved, right?

Keith could hardly listen as Lance cried his regret. Instead he focused on cradling Shiro’s head in his hand. Focused on the fact that his best friend wasn’t moving. Wasn’t hardly _breathing._

Allura suddenly stood and Keith’s attention was torn from Shiro’s body to instead watch as Allura put her hands upon the Black Lion.

“Please,” Keith whispered under his breath.

Allura began to glow as the energy from the Black Lion transferred to her. And as she turned to face them once again, Keith was hit by the way he could _see_ him. He could see Shiro in Allura’s stance. She had found him. She walked back over and placed her fingers to Shiro’s head. Keith held his breath as the energy entered the limp body and Shiro’s hair began to turn white.

Allura finished transferring energy and seconds later Shiro sat up, gasping for air. Keith hardly had time to react before Shiro was falling back into his arms and Keith’s relief was palpable.

Shiro was really back this time.

“You found me.”.

“We’re glad you’re back Shiro,” Keith replied, and before he could second guess himself he pressed a kiss to Shiro’s forehead.

Shiro smiled and passed out.

“I’m going to protect you this time,” Keith whispered, “I promise.”


	21. Amnesia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set right after the flashback episode in season 7, with Shiro waking up in the healing pod a second time. I went ahead and combined the prompts for day 22 & 23 to catch up a little bit. (Oh and day 21 can be found on my tumblr @sideofsaltblog or in part 2 of this drabble collection)

**July 22 - Age / Age Gap**

& **July 23 - Amnesia**

Shiro was sure that he went to sleep in his bed at the Garrison, but when he woke up he was surrounded by people he didn’t know. And with aches and pains he didn’t remember having. He supposed he should be trying to figure out who all these unfamiliar faces were around him (was that woman purple?), but he was more worried about his arm.

His lack of an arm that is.

“What the fuck?” he whispered, staring down at the empty space at his side.

“Shiro?”

He looked up and met eyes with a stranger. No, wait, the face was familiar. The only one he sort of recognized in the room. It took him a moment because this was not the cadet at the Garrison he’d been hanging out with a few hours earlier. Yet there was no mistaking those eyes.

Keith somehow got older. 

And he was hot.

“Uh… Keith?”

“How are you feeling?” Keith asked, placing a hand on his left shoulder, “You passed out again. I was worried.”

“I’m fine?” Shiro replied slowly, “How did I get here?”

“You’ve been in the healing pod for the last few hours. Allura said your body has finally accepted your consciousness after all that time you spent in the Black Lion’s Quantum Abyss.”

The words were nonsense to Shiro. Healing pod? Black Lion? Quantum Abyss?

“Keith, I um don’t want to freak you out but-”

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked, eyes widening in concern, “Are you in pain? Can you move okay? Is-Is it your arm?”

Keith’s eyes flicked to Shiro’s missing arm and if Shiro wasn’t mistaken he saw a flash of regret in his eyes. He wondered what that meant.

“No, physically I think I’m okay but... honestly the last thing I remember is going to sleep at the Garrison.”

Keith stood staring at him for a second and the room went absolutely silent. Shiro took a moment to reach his hand up to grab at the strands of hair in front of his face.

“Shit, did my hair turn white?” he muttered.

The room erupted in sound. Suddenly almost every person in the room was surrounding him asking questions.

“You remember me right Shiro? It’s me Lance!”

“What about me?” A cadet in green armor jumped in, “I’m Matt’s little sibling?”

“And me?” asked a guy in yellow armor.

“Well this is just great, what’s the Garrison?” asked the blonde woman with pointed ears.

“The Garrison is where we all went to school before we became paladins,” Lance replied.

“Everyone be quiet!” Keith snapped, and Shiro was grateful that they listened.

Shiro looked to the paladin in green, “Katie, right?”

“Actually I go by Pidge now,” Pidge smiled, “What _do_ you remember Shiro?”

Shiro sighed, raking a hand through his now white hair, “Keith-well a younger Keith-and I were hanging out on the roof of the Garrison after a day of hoverbiking. I went to sleep in my bed and now I’m here. In this healing pod?”

“Fuck,” Keith breathed, turning to the woman with white hair, “Allura, is it possible that transfering his essence from the Black Lion could have made him lose his memories?”

Allura’s eyebrows furrowed, looking troubled, “I-I guess so but I have no idea what could have caused it. Perhaps the shock of returning to a physical body caused amnesia. But it seemed like he had his memories when he woke up before?”

Shiro looked from face to face, all of them looking at him with worry. He didn’t like it. After everything he’s gone through with his illness, he didn’t need more pity.

“Shiro you must be a bit lost,” The purple woman stepped forward, “Allow me to start. I’m Krolia, Keith’s mother. My son has told me a lot about you and I want to thank you for being there for him when I couldn’t be.”

“O-of course,” Shiro couldn’t help the way his mouth dropped open, “Keith you’re half alien?”

For the first time since Shiro woke up, Keith laughed, “Yeah Shiro, I am. Pretty cool huh?”

“I’m Allura, princess of Altea and this is Coran and Romelle, also Alteans,” she introduced, gesturing to the red haired man and blonde girl beside her.

“I’m Hunk!”

“And I’m Lance!”

“You’ve already introduced yourself Lance,” Pidge elbowed him.

“Yeah well it’s not fair that Shiro only remembers his boyfriend!”

The room went silent for a second time and Shiro was caught off guard once again as he watched Keith glare daggers at Lance.

“Boyfriend?” he repeated, to which Keith averted his eyes, face flushed.

“Yeah, it kind of happened after I found out about my Galran heritage during my trial with the Blades. You watched me fight and afterwards we sort of… got together,” Keith trailed off still not meeting his eyes, “Sorry that’s probably really weird for you, since in your memory I’m just a brat but-”

“Keith.”

Keith stopped talking.

Shiro reached out his hand to rest against Keith’s cheek, thumb brushing over the burn scar on Keith’s face. A flash of memory shook through him and he frowned.

“Did I do this?”

“No,” Keith immediately replied, leaning a bit into his touch “It wasn’t your fault.”

Shiro felt familiarity creep in, as if everything was about to click into place. It made his head ache and there was a part of him that _knew_ the memories would be painful. Perhaps he’d forgotten to cope. Maybe it would be better for him to just forget altogether. 

“Shiro?” Keith whispered, and Shiro realized he was still caressing Keith’s cheek with his thumb.

He and Keith were _dating._ That was still something he needed to let sink in. The idea that the cheeky brat he’d become best friends with was now his hot half-alien boyfriend.

What had _happened_ these past few years?

Maybe the memories would be painful, but he had a feeling that his memories with Keith would be worth it. Of being with him and falling in love with him. He didn’t want to forget that.

He couldn’t.

Shiro leaned forward, sitting up despite his aches and pains, and closer into Keith’s space. Keith’s eyes widened but he didn’t move away.

“Can I?” Shiro asked quietly, only half aware of the audience around them.

Keith nodded.

When Shiro kissed him it was like everything came flooding back at once. The Kerberos mission and his capture by the Galra. His escape, return to Earth, fighting alongside the paladins with Voltron. _Dying._

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut but focused on the way Keith’s mouth fit perfectly against his own.

Shiro remembered pain. And a lot of it. But then he remembered the good times. Training with his friends and leading Voltron. His connection with the Black Lion. Visiting amazing alien worlds to free them from the Galra and build allies.

And _Keith._ Who was there on Earth to welcome him back. Who saved him over and over again. The man who had been so worried about his Galran heritage after the trial and thought that Shiro would hate him for it. And how Shiro had done everything he could to prove him wrong. They had kissed then like they were kissing now. Shiro had poured all his love into that kiss to assure Keith he loved him no matter what.

Now Keith was kissing him to let him know that despite the painful memories, he had good ones too.

And Shiro knew they were worth it as he let himself melt into Keith’s kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh this one was a weird one to write because I didn't have any ideas at first. I hope it turned out okay!


	22. Party Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one also got a little horny. Not enough for an explicit rating but you get the drill. (feat. wingman allurance)

**July 24 - Seven Minutes**

Keith was going to  _ kill  _ Lance if he made it out of this alive. Which, going by how fast his heart was pounding, he felt like he might drop dead any second now.

Because of course this had been Lance’s idea. Keith didn’t ask to be dragged to some random frat house party. He didn’t ask to then be further dragged into a game of spin the fucking bottle of all things. And, when pressured by supposed “best friend” Lance to take his turn, it  _ had  _ to land on the hottest frat boy on the face of the Earth.

One Takashi Shirogane, who Keith had been crushing hard on in his astrophysics class for the past two months.

But how could he not be smitten? Shiro was built like a fucking sex god with muscles that could probably snap in half. And yet he had the cutest smile and was actually super smart. Keith had been fortunate enough to work with Shiro on a class project and they’d actually hit it off really well. Better than Keith could have ever imagined. They had common interests in astronomy, shitty action movies, and motorbikes. Keith was almost inclined to call them tentative friends and  _ had  _ been planning to invite Shiro to go riding sometime.

Probably not anymore.

Keith stared down the closet like it was the gallows. Because  _ of course  _ Lance had suggested that instead of just a peck, the duo should have “seven minutes in heaven” and for some reason everyone else agreed.

“Alright you two,” Lance smirked, “Get in and we’ll start the timer.”

Keith locked eyes with Lance one last time before getting in, putting as much hatred into the glare that Lance visibly swallowed.

Keith got about a second to look at the interior of the small supply closet and then Shiro was inside too and the door shut behind them. He heard Lance’s snickers outside and a call that the timer had started.

Ever since the bottle had landed on him, Shiro had been oddly quiet and Keith immediately felt the awkwardness settle on them. Shit, and after all his hard work to be friends with the man, Lance had to go and ruin it.

“Sorry,” Keith muttered, leaning back on the shelves to distance himself as much as possible, “Lance is an idiot. I wouldn’t have played if I’d known he was going to suggest  _ this _ .”

Shiro let out a breath that was almost a laugh, “So you were hoping for just a kiss then?”

Keith could feel a blush creep up his neck and he was glad the closet was dark enough that Shiro probably couldn’t see.

“I don’t know,” he finally replied, “I probably shouldn’t have sat down for the game in the first place. I’ll chalk it up to one too many drinks and peer pressure.”

“A bad combination,” Shiro laughed, and Keith was relieved to hear it.

“What about you?” Keith asked in an effort to kill time.

“Why I sat in?” Shiro replied and Keith nodded, “The same actually. My friend Allura convinced me to join but…”

Shiro trailed off, seeming to consider something for a moment.

“But?” Keith repeated.

“I was kind of hoping my spin would land on you.”

Keith wished he could see Shiro’s face right now. He wondered if Shiro was as red as Keith felt. Keith took a tentative step forward and he could feel Shiro’s eyes on him. He got close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off of Shiro’s body. Shiro wasn’t wearing a shirt, having probably lost it between the start of the party and now. Keith, on the other hand, was only wearing skinny jeans and a thin tank top. There wasn’t much space between them, and not a lot of clothes either.

Keith faltered before he reached out to touch him, still unsure. Keith knew he’d fallen for Shiro. Hard. He wasn’t sure he could just go for a quick makeout and then squash those feelings down and away like it was nothing.

“Keith?” Shiro murmured into the quiet space between them.

Finally adjusted to the darkness Keith looked up to meet Shiro’s eyes. Shiro’s expression was soft, but Keith could see a heat in his eyes. Shiro  _ wanted  _ him. And fuck if he didn’t want Shiro too.

With renewed confidence he reached his arms around Shiro’s neck and almost immediately Shiro’s hands settled on his waist. They gravitated even closer and the feeling of bare skin under his hands and a solid chest pressed against his own was making Keith feel light headed.

Their lips were centimeters apart, and Keith could feel the exhalation of Shiro’s breath across his lips.

“May I?” Shiro asked, always the gentleman.

“Please.”

Shiro closed the distance and Keith immediately surged up to meet him. Shiro tightened his hold on Keith’s hips and Keith felt breathless as they kissed. It was everything he’d imagined, hot and intense but sloppier. Messier. As if they were both too impatient to have one another, and there was no time for finesse.

Shiro was biting at Keith’s bottom lip and as Keith gasped, Shiro slipped his tongue between Keith’s lips. Shiro’s hands dragged up Keith’s body, making him shiver, until they settled on Keith’s face, holding him still as he licked into his mouth.

Shiro tasted like cheap beer and something sweet that Keith couldn’t quite place. Whatever it was Keith felt a fire creep under his skin, threatening to overtake him. He couldn’t stop his own hands from wandering, traveling down Shiro’s chest to feel up toned muscle. His fingers dragged accidentally across Shiro’s perked nipples and Shiro groaned into his mouth. The sound spiking desire down Keith’s spine and as if Shiro could read his mind, his thigh came up between Keith’s legs to rest firmly against his arousal.

Keith gasped, jerking away from the kiss to take gulping breaths. Shiro pulled back slightly, but let his hands settle back on Keith’s hips. Keith let his head fall forward to rest on Shiro’s chest.

“Sorry,” Shiro murmured, pressing a kiss to Keith’s hair, “Got a little carried away.”

“No it’s fine,” Keith was quick to reply.

Shiro laughed, “And I guess we don’t really want them opening the door on us grinding against each other.”

At Shiro’s words Keith felt desire spike through him again, and he couldn’t stop himself from pressing open mouthed kisses to the skin of Shiro’s chest. 

“K-keith?”

“You want to go motorbiking up the mountain sometime?” Keith asked as he traveled up Shiro’s neck, wanting to leave marks, “We could go in the evening, watch the stars, and make out some more?”

“Fuck,” Shiro breathed, “Yeah, I’d like that baby.”

Keith shivered at the endearmant, pulling back to meet Shiro’s eyes.

“I like you Shiro,” he added, “I have for a while. I’m glad the bottle landed on you.”

Shiro smiled and Keith felt the rest of his doubts disappear, “Me too.”

And when the seven minutes were up, Lance and the rest of the partygoers smugly looked on as the door opened to Keith and Shiro continuing to make out. To hell with their audience.

“About time,” Lance rolled his eyes, to which his girlfriend Allura laughed.

“I told you it would work,” She winked.


	23. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning that this is a technically season 8 compliant fix-it fic (not end card compliant) so if you're someone that doesn't want to touch s8 with a ten foot pole please feel free to skip this chapter. (Oh and if you were wondering where the day 25 fic is it is compiled with the other nsfw drabbles in the next work of this series.)

July 26th - Confession/Listen

“I love you Keith.”

“Yeah Shiro, I love you too.”

Shiro took a deep breath, “No, Keith I… I’m  _ in  _ love with you.”

There was a beat of silence where Keith just stared at him in shock. And then Shiro’s heart dropped as Keith turned...

And ran away.

Shiro sighed, knocking his head back against the wall from where he sat on his bed, unable to focus on the datapad in his hand. 

Ever since they had taken off in the Atlas and back out into space Keith had been avoiding him. Shiro had expected all kinds of things when he finally got up the courage to confess to Keith. He had expected Keith to reject him immediately, telling him that he’d always thought of Shiro as a brother and nothing more. Or Keith would let him down gently, saying he didn’t feel the same way but that they could still be friends. Or, in his wildest fantasies, he had even thought that maybe Keith would feel the same.

He never expected Keith to run and then pretend it never happened. To act like they were only coworkers.  _ Strangers. _

It made Shiro’s heart hurt like it was being torn apart.

Even today, when they had gone down to the Clear Day celebration he couldn’t find the courage to ask Keith to hang out with him. And Keith certainly didn’t offer to accompany him through the festivities either.

Instead Shiro had found himself unwittingly participating in that stupid arm wrestling contest. He had won sure, fueling his ever competitive nature. But now that the adrenaline was past and he was back in his own room, he felt sickened about how much it reminded him of the arena. It was part of the reason why he was awake at 2 in the morning rather than asleep. 

He had accidentally brought all those memories back to the surface. Now, instead of enjoying the victory of an innocent contest of strength, he closes his eyes and smells blood and hears the screams of anguish from himself and his opponents in the arena.

He just couldn’t stop fucking up lately.

And why had he wanted to prove his worth so bad anyways? That alien who had taunted him about his age? Why did it matter what  _ he _ thought?

But then Shiro remembers looking out into the crowd and seeing Keith. Keith, who had been cheering for him and finally  _ looking  _ at him again. It had affected Shiro more than he wants to admit. It was no longer just about proving himself, it was about showing off to  _ Keith. _

That, at least, made him flush in embarrassment rather than dredging up more painful memories.

Shiro stretched briefly before standing up and pulling on his shirt. Maybe a quick walk around the Atlas would help him get his mind to settle.

He left his room and walked down the hall and past multiple bedrooms. He paused briefly to look at Keith’s door but moved on quickly. There were only a couple other people moving about, whether to the cafeteria for a snack or just unable to sleep like him. Those who did pass by always saluted, to which Shiro waved them along easily.

He resisted the urge to go onto the deck, where the overnight crew would be working. He was pretty sure Iverson had volunteered to oversee them tonight and Shiro had no desire to be scolded by the man for not resting enough.

Shiro continued to walk aimlessly, passing by Colleen’s lab and gardens, the hanger, and various other facilities until he found himself stopping in front of the training decks.

He could hear the sounds of sparring from inside and instinctively pressed his hand against the pad to open the door. He should have known it would be Keith. Shiro watched as Keith danced around one of the training dummies, brandishing his Galran blade to attack and parry. Shiro was immediately met with a dilemma. Keith hadn’t noticed him yet and it would be fairly easy to slip from the room. However, Shiro also knew this might be the last time in who knows how long he might be able to get his best friend alone.

Well,  _ hopefully  _ he can still call Keith his best friend.

Shiro coughed quietly to let Keith know he was there. Keith whipped around to face him, and stood too long staring at Shiro to realize the training dummy was still active.

“Keith!” Shiro yelled too late as the dummy slammed a metal arm into Keith’s side, knocking him back and down onto the ground.

Shiro didn’t hesitate, running forward to where Keith lay prone while sending his Altean arm ahead of him to ram into the dummy.

“End training sequence!” Shiro commanded and the lights behind the dummy’s eyes went dark, “Keith, are you okay?”

Shiro kneeled by Keith’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder. Luckily the other man was already sitting up, panting from having the wind knocked out of him, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

“I’m fine,” Keith choked out, pushing himself up and away from Shiro’s touch.

It made Shiro feel unreasonably cold and alone.

Shiro watched as Keith picked up his towel to wipe the sweat away from his face and Shiro could tell he was already preparing to leave.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Shiro asked, desperately wanting to break the silence.

“Yeah.”

Keith walked towards the door.

“Keith.”

Keith finally met his eye, “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

Keith’s eyes furrowed in confusion, his hand coming to rest on his side where the dummy had punched him, “It’s not your fault, I’m the one who got distracted.”

“No- I mean I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable when I confessed. I… I can’t take it back but I never meant to make you feel pressured into returning my feelings or-”

“Shiro, it’s fine,” Keith cut in and Shiro was confused by the pained look in Keith’s eyes, “ _ I’m  _ sorry. But I can’t right now. I can’t-”

Keith goes silent and Shiro can see the warring emotions behind Keith’s eyes. His pain and fear and indecision. Shiro takes a step forward, approaching Keith as carefully as he would a wild animal. He risks to reach out for Keith’s hand and he’s surprised when Keith lets him take it.

Keith let out a sigh and his eyes dropped closed, as if the contact were enough to soothe his rioting emotions.

“I love you Shiro,” he finally whispered, squeezing Shiro’s hand, “Until this war is over-until Haggar is stopped-you’re going to be a target. She knows how much you mean to me and she’s already used that to her advantage. If she were to find out we were  _ together  _ she would know how to destroy both of us.”

Shiro just stared for a moment, processing everything Keith said. Shiro let out a breath that was almost a laugh and Keith’s eyes snapped open, bewildered by Shiro’s reaction.

“Keith listen,” Shiro started, grabbing Keith’s shoulders with both his hands, “Haggar already knows  _ everything.  _ I’ve loved you since I first asked you to be the Black Paladin. Maybe even sooner. Like you said, she already knows how to use our bond against us but we’re stronger  _ together.  _ I’m not asking anything from you that you don’t want but please don’t push me away.”

“I can’t lose you again Shiro. I won’t.”

“I know,” Shiro whispered and he could see Keith’s control slipping, “I can’t promise anything, but I love you Keith. I want to be with you and I will try my absolute damnedest to stay alive for you too.”

Shiro watched as Keith seemed to finally come to a decision and in the next moment Keith moved closer, hovering just a few centimeters away. He’s not sure who moved first but the moment their lips met Shiro knew everything was going to be okay.

They would end this war. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever write something fairly ooc but then it kind of makes sense when the whole canon final season was ooc? Yeah that's this fic. I've actually written a whole in-depth fix-it fic for the entire eighth season called Infinite Possibilities, so check that out if you want to see more stuff like this chapter. As always feel free to chat me up on tumblr @sideofsaltblog or on twitter @midnightsong22. Thanks as always for the support!


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